Phantom Mythology
by PixieGirl13
Summary: After being pushed into a vanishing portal, Danny finds himself in a time he doesn't remember too well from History class...Ancient Greece. The gods are high powered ghosts who rule the mortal world. The problem is,Danny has already been labeled top thief
1. Chapter 1 Blast Into the Past

A/N: This fan fic is really just for fun for my mind. I'm in a good mood to write a Danny Phantom fan fiction, so the plot line was quickly drawn up. So I'll apologize ahead of time for the lack of thought put into the fic. I just watched the third season online and wanted to experiment with the characters. This fic takes place in the third season of the show. Don't worry if you haven't seen that season yet. You can still read this fic and understand what is going on without having to watch it. There might be a few spoilers, though. With that said, enjoy the fic and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Danny Phantom characters, so don't sue me!

Phantom Mythology

Written by: Pixiegirl13

Chapter 1 Blast to the Past

He hated this feeling.

Danny peered into the darkened boiler room of Vlad's mansion with a small frown planted on his face. The wide room was scorching hot because its extensive use that winter. While outside Amity Park was practically going through a snow blizzard, the boiler room was overflowing with heat waves.

Sweat dripped down Danny's flushed face and his tense back as he slowly glided through the twists and turns of the complex pipe systems. The boy's glowing green eyes scanned the place, searching desperately for the person who had somehow vanished. The area was only lit by emergency lights that blasted harsh red rays of light into the room. This produced drastic dark shadows, adding to the forbidding mood Danny was feeling at the second.

"Come out, Vlad," Danny yelled his impatience to his hidden enemy. "I know you're down here," he added after an uncertain pause. No answer.

_C'mon!_ Danny thought in disgust. _I hate it when he plays mind games on me like this!_

The attack came without warning, exactly how Vlad liked it. One second the room was silent, with the only exception of steam bursting from pipes, the next, it was filled with a loud battle yell. Danny gasped from the sudden sound and spun around in mid air…just in time to see the heel of Vlad's foot collide with his face.

The force knocked Danny into a set of scorching hot pipes. The teen let out a small cry of pain as the pipes burned his skin slightly. Acting quickly, Danny turned intangible to prevent himself from suffering any more burns and to avoid getting whacked again by Vlad who soared right through him.

"This is becoming something more along the lines of a favorite past time, Daniel," Vlad teased Danny, a wicked smile coming to his face. The man loved to go at Danny at times. Beating the boy up was great for his lack of self esteem and for brightening his spirits.

"I'm in no mood for your witty come backs," Danny spat back as he pushed off a large pipe with his feet. He soared toward Vlad with both hands bursting into green flames.

The reason for the fight was more complex than it seemed on the surface. Just the fact that Vlad had scammed the whole town of Amity Park into voting for him made Danny's insides churn. With the boy's arch enemy watching his every move, Danny was starting to get sick of being worried about making a fatal mistake.

Weeks of built up emotions had made Danny an agitated mess to say the least. After finding a small video camera in the lab that night had pushed the teen over the edge of his dam of emotions. In his uncontrollable rage with the man, Danny had flown over to Vlad's house to take his anger out in the only way he knew possible at the time.

But at the present…he was reconsidering his decision on coming over.

Hands still glowing, Danny harshly threw some green rays at Vlad in a futile attempt to take the man down. Vlad simply put up a hand and evaded the attacks with a pink shield. The rays dissolved into the shield as if the thing was a stove top and the rays were water. Light green steam actually accompanied the melted rays as they vanished.

Danny blasted downward and came back up sharply with both hands made into tight fists. Vlad didn't have time prevent the uppercut as Danny punched Vlad from under his chin. Vlad made a small cry of discomfort before latching onto Danny's ankle as the boy tried to fly away.

"You are a nuisance, that's what you are!" Vlad seethed.

"Let go, creep!" Danny shouted back as he struggled to break free from Vlad's vice grip on his ankle. His eyes turned blue as he got ready to freeze the man right then and there. He would no have trouble turning him into an icicle like the last time.

Vlad saw this and acted fast. He flung the boy into the air and shot one powerful ray at him. The ray caught Danny in the chest and sent him rocketing toward the ceiling at break neck speed. Danny let out an alarmed yell as he turned intangible. He was whisked through the ceiling and into Vlad's secret lab before he regained some control on his flying.

Danny was about to blast himself back into the room under him until something caught his eye and attention. Being too curious for his own good, Danny lightly landed back onto the ground and walked over to where a ghost portal was.

The portal was being forced to remain open by a machine Vlad had somehow created. The entrance to the swirling abyss was blue colored and making a slight twinkling sound, as if someone was playing a tune with jumbled up musical notes.

"Why would Vlad want to keep a portal open for so long?" Danny asked himself out loud. "Whatever it is, it can't be good for anyone except himself. Selfish little fruit loop," he cursed the man at the end.

The exploration was still not done because right after Danny said this, he noticed a lab table next to the portal. By now Danny's interest was overpowering any anger he was feeling at this point. Danny had almost forgotten about the battle him and Vlad were currently having as he picked through the things on the table.

Mind working its way into multiple hypothesizes about the matter, Danny rummaged through a bag of haphazard items. In the worn leather bag was a pair of shoes with wings at the heels. They reminded Danny of the symbol for track and field at his high school. There were some grapes, a small cage with a dove in it, a wooden bow, a harp like thing, and other random and also useless junk.

"This stuff doesn't add up," Danny said in complete confusion. "Why would Vlad steal all this from a single portal, assuming he stole this stuff in the first place? This stuff doesn't make any since! Has he seriously gone insane?"

"Snooping now, are we?" Vlad asked from across the room.

Danny narrowed his eyes and spun around to face his enemy, annoyed with himself for being distracted and off guard. "What's with the portal, Vlad?" he asked Plasmius. He lifted the leather bag with the stuff in it and added sarcastically, "You'll buy a whole new mansion with these priceless jewels."

"I don't have to tell you that, now do I?" Plasmius said with his wicked smile returning. An idea suddenly came to the man, and he couldn't help but give a sharp, cruel laugh at just the thought of it. "How would you like it, Daniel, if I showed you a little bit of history? You better hope you paid enough attention in History class in seventh grade, my dear boy, because ones who do not learn from it are sure to repeat it."

With that said, Vlad shot a quick ray at Danny. The teen tried his best to avoid it by jumping out of the way, but Vlad had predicted the dodge and caught him with the ray in his gut. Knocking the air right out of him, the ray forced Danny into the portal. In seconds, the ghost boy was gone without much of a trace.

Seeing his win, Vlad turned back into his human self and bellowed with laughter over his great triumph. He briskly walked over to the machine holding the portal open and pressed a button. The hum of the machine powered down and portal vanished in the blink of an eye.

He had finally gotten rid of Danny! Well…at least for a few weeks. Vlad knew the boy was smart enough to locate another portal and return to the ghost zone and then easily get back to earth. But until then, Vlad was Phantom free!

Too bad joy doesn't last long.

As the man was doing some kind of a victory dance to himself, he realized his big mistake. He stopped in mid one man conga and stared at his lab table in sheer horror. The leather bag with the stuff he had stolen was gone!

"No! That can't be! It has to be here!" Vlad yelled to himself as despair kicked in. Desperately, the man searched for the bag, looking his lab over from top to bottom. "But I worked so hard!" he finally said as the conclusion came up. The bag was gone.

Thinking back, Vlad's eyes widened in shock. He remembered Danny had held up the bag just before he had shot him through the portal. How could he have been so foolish? He had just shot Danny into the portal with his precious stolen objects! He needed those for his new plan to take over more than just Amity Park!

"Stupid!" Vlad hissed at himself as he smacked his forehead.

A/N: I'd like to know how long you readers like chapters. Do you like this length or want it longer or shorter? And sorry to the readers who haven't watched the third season yet. All you have to know for this fic is that Danny has this freezing power, which you have already seen from that plant episode from a few months back, which was played WAY out of order. And another thing I might have given away is that Vlad is mayor of Amity Park. Sorry if that is too big of a spoiler. But thanks for reading and please give a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2 Knowing Your Place

A/N: Wow! I didn't think the fic would be that much of a hit. Maybe I'm just used to never getting reviews when doing Teen Titan fics. Because of those reviews and hits, I've decided to put more thought into this fic. Sorry that I couldn't respond to all the reviews, though. I'll respond next time. And I'm sorry for the delay. My computer wasn't working. With that said, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Anything that you've seen in a Danny Phantom episode is not mine.

Chapter 2 Knowing Your Place

With a loud scream, Danny fell through the portal and landed with a great splash on the other side. Confused and deeply disoriented, the teen floundered around in the river he had landed in. He choked on water as his head bobbed up and down on the surface of the rushing river.

Looking ahead, Danny saw a rock sticking out of the roaring rapids, and it was coming up fast. Desperately, the teen tried to swim out of the way. The problem was that he was a pathetic ant in a stream. He had no control over the currents pushing him onward. All he could do was try to keep his head above the water.

Danny slammed harshly against the rock, right away blacking out and turning back into human form. He slipped under the surface for a few long seconds. For a dangerous amount of time the ghost boy was under water before coming back up. With a sharp gasp, Danny's head broke the surface. He tumbled back under as the current took him further down stream.

"Help!" Danny screamed as his head came back up for a second for air. He knew his life was going to be cut short if he didn't get someone to help him. The odds of something hanging around river rapids were slim, but at least he was trying.

He was just slipping back under when a hand suddenly latched onto Danny's out stretched arm. Danny gave a sharp yell as he was sharply pulled backwards by the person who had grabbed his wrist. Water sprayed around the boy as he was slowly pulled toward the shore.

"Pull!" a man's voice yelled above the roar of the rapids. Danny clutched the hand that was saving his life till he felt himself out of the water. He gasped for breath on his hands and knees on the grassy bank he had been pulled onto.

"He's cute!" a flirtatious girl's voice giggled.

"Give him some room, Foam!" chided the guy's voice again. "Go find that bag of his that was carried farther down steam." There was a pause. "Go!" the voice ordered sharply.

Danny looked up and jumped in surprise. A man was leaning down in front of him. But what had surprised Danny was the fact that the man had the body of a horse and the torso of a man. The horse part of the guy was auburn brown. He had strong, powerful legs like a race horse. The human part of him was built too, complete with a six pack. His face was sharp with brown eyes and auburn hair.

"Where did that portal send me?" Danny asked himself out loud when seeing the centaur. He rubbed his head in disbelief while muttering, "I must have really bumped my head back there."

"Yes, you were very fortunate to still be alive," the centaur said with a smile. "The gods must really favor you."

Danny stared at his rescuer for a second, a blank expression on his face. Finally he broke out in a smile and said, "Oh! I know what you are! You're a centaur! Who knew I'd remember that from 7th grade history?" He gave a small laugh at the ironic thought.

The centaur gave Danny a worrisome look before saying, "You must be suffering some brain damage from that hit. But my name is Adelphos. What is your name, young demigod?"

"Danny," Danny answered while slowly getting to his unsteady feet. His clothes were soaked to the core and making him cold. He shivered slightly as a light breezed filtered through the forest he was in. Large, towering trees surrounded the two. They held rich, green leaves and multicolored flowers just beginning to blossom. It was the beginning of spring.

"Oh, as in the Hebrew name Daniel?" Adelphos asked with interest.

"Um, sure," Danny said, not wanting to cause confusion even though he was experiencing enough at the present. Danny believed he was only in a dream and was going with it. But boy was it a vivid dream!

"What does it mean?" Adelphos asked. Danny shrugged. "It must have a meaning," Adelphos said while crossing his arms. "A god wouldn't just let a mortal name their child…unless the god seriously didn't care or didn't know about the birth."

"I really don't know what it means," Danny said. "Sorry."

"You are a strange one, young demigod," Adelphos said with a grin.

"I found his bag!" a girl's voice said from Danny's right.

"Whoa!" Danny shouted when he looked down to see a girl who only came up to his hip. She had sea foam colored skin. Her features were soft but still beautiful. Her hair was only a mass of water constantly shifting around her head. Her eyes were the same. She wore only a skimpy blue top and bottom to cover her small body.

The river nymph giggled playfully as she handed Vlad's sack to Danny. "My name is Foam," the nymph said, a smile coming to her blue lips as she stared up at Danny.

"Get out of here!" Adelphos snapped at the nymph. The girl hissed slightly at the centaur before jumping into the rushing river and melting into its waters. Danny saw her wave to him beneath the surface. Absently, the teen waved back.

"Water nymphs are too flirtatious for their own good," Adelphos muttered with a sigh. He eyed the sack in Danny's hand and asked, "What's in there? Are you on a quest for a god?"

Danny opened the sack and looked inside, confused to see only one object. The others must have had slipped out on the ride down the river. The only thing left was a three pointed fork like thing.

As Danny searched the bag for anything else he might have missed, a shiver went down his spine. He saw a blue mist escape his mouth, indicating another ghost was nearby. Frowning, Danny glanced to his left and right for the ghost.

"Danny," Adelphos said with panic in his voice. "Is your father Poseidon?"

Danny shot him a quizzical look while saying, "No. Why?"

The teen got his answer as a wave slammed against his back, forcing him into a tree trunk a few yards away. With a moan, Danny got back to his feet and looked for his attacker as he went ghost. He didn't get a chance to get a glimpse as he was suddenly hit with another powerful wave of water from behind. It forced him to his hands and knees on the now soggy grass.

"You shouldn't have come back, thief!" a man's voice boomed in anger. "Now you will suffer the price of making the gods angry!"

Thinking quickly, Danny shot into the air as another wave washed over the grassy clearing from the river. Now Danny saw the person attacking him. It was a ghost. He levitated above the river with a spinning ball of river water formed by his hands that were raised above his head. The ghost had glowing blue eyes that were narrowed dangerously on Danny.

The ghost was clothed in a short, white toga-like outfit. Sandals adorned his bare feet. A blue three pointed crown was placed upon his mass of brown curly hair. He was a fairly young ghost, maybe in his yearly thirties. And like the centaur, the man was strongly built and in incredible shape.

"What do you want, dude?" Danny asked the ghost. "And what's with the toga, man? They were cool in the Greek and Roman days, but these days all they are good for are toga parties."

The ghost only growled as he flung his ball of water at Danny. The teen avoided the water by simply turning it to ice and letting it drop to the ground. More balls of water were already on their way toward Danny as he disposed of the first.

"Jeez!" Danny muttered as he had to quickly fly out of the way to dodge the boulder sized water balls. "I wouldn't want to get into a water balloon fight with you…unless you were on my team of course."

"Danny! What are you doing?" Adelphos yelled up at him. "Demigods should never fight a god!" A deeply worried look had planted itself on his face.

Danny glanced down at his centaur friend while answering, "I'm obviously trying to dodge the water guy's—."

The teen was cut off in mid sentence as a giant hand made from water protruded out of the river and grabbed Danny. The hand pushed Danny against a luminous tree and wrapped itself around both the boy and the trunk, pinning Danny there.

"Ah! This dream is getting painful," Danny choked out. The grip around his body tightened as the ghost flew toward his caught prey. Suddenly Danny realized this wasn't a dream. He had been pushed into a ghost portal. Portals could send you to different times.

Fear gripped Danny's heart as realized he had been sent back all the way to the Ancient Greece days, where gods were considered real! And it was at that moment that Danny became a believer of gods as well. The Greek gods weren't exactly kind to mortals, he remembered from history class. He was in way over his head!

"Where is it, thief?" the god or ghost demanded as he shoved his face into Danny's.

Danny smiled back at the god nervously. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else," he told Poseidon. "If you let me go, I'm sure we can clear up this mistake and get back whatever you think I have." As he said this, Danny fiercely searched his brain for anything he could remember about Poseidon back from 7th grade history class. It would really come in handy for the near future.

The god didn't answer the teen as he made the hand wrapped around the tree tighten. Danny quickly turned intangible to get out of the suffocating hold. Eyes glowing, the teen threw a few rays at the god. The rays hit the ghost in the shoulder, producing an angry yell from the man.

"You shouldn't have done that," Adelphos called up to Danny.

Danny said nothing as he wearily glanced down then back up at the god. The ghost grew in size till it was like a giant towering high above Danny. The boy's jaw went slack as he saw this. The hair on his back of his neck started to rise, barely hinting at the ominous feeling in the air as the ghost grew.

"Is it too late to say sorry?" Danny managed to ask with a wince.

Now the ghost was at least three stories tall. His crowned head was well above the tree tops. Danny felt like a pitiable little bug ready to be relentlessly squashed under the ghost's heel. He was only the size of the ghost's pinky finger. There were only a few other ghosts that Danny had come into contact with that were this huge. Usually those were impossible to take down just by himself.

All the ghost had to do was simply raise his hand to attack now. Water came out of nowhere and smashed into Danny like a brick wall. It was like he was back in the rapids again. The ghost forced the poor teen against trees, smashed him against the ground, and a few times froze the water around him then let the giant ice cube fall back toward the earth.

Finally, as if bored with playing with his food, the god stopped his unrelenting attacks. With narrowed, dark eyes, the god watched as Danny landed roughly on the ground and got to his hands and knees. The teen coughed up what seemed like gallons of water with a small moan of pain.

Glancing up, Danny spotted Vlad's bag with the fork-like thing in it. Eyes going wide, the teen remembered what that thing was. It was Poseidon's symbol of power!

"His trident!" Danny said, joy filling his voice.

Danny lunged for the sack with the treasure in it just as the god raised his hand for another attack. The teen snatched up the bag and flung out the trident just as a wave of water was about to crash right into him. Danny flinched as he prepared for the hit, but none came.

Slowly, Danny opened his eyes and looked up at the god frowning down upon him. Danny gulped before stretching out the trident toward the ghost. "I believe this is yours," he said hopefully. "But I didn't steal it."

The ghost god shrunk down to its normal size before grabbing the trident away from Danny. "It does not matter if you stole it or not now," he said coolly to Danny. Poseidon was on the brink of exploding with anger. "Who do you belong to?" he shouted at Danny, trying desperately to keep control over his emotion.

Danny winced at the small outburst. "What?" he asked as the god's words sunk into his head. "I don't belong to anyone, dude."

"Perfect," Poseidon growled in disgust. "One of my siblings has abandoned _another_ one of their children."

Danny scratched the back of his head as an awkward silence settled upon them. "Um…I didn't steal your trident, um…Poseidon," Danny said to apologize. "Sorry that it was stolen, but it wasn't me. But we're cool now, right?" Poseidon shot him a fierce glare. "Hey, I gave you your trident back!" Danny defended himself.

Poseidon shoved his face into Danny's. The boy tried to step away. He gave an alarmed yelp when he saw that his feet had been frozen to the soggy grass from the ghost's water powers. He looked back up with trepidation to stare into the ice cold eyes of the furious god.

"You, young demigod, better find your place soon," Poseidon snarled harshly in Danny's face. "A demigod does not attack or talk back to any god or they will surely be punished. Because you have no god to label you, I am letting you go just this once. Got that?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny said quickly with his hands raised slightly to show the other ghost he wasn't meaning to threaten him in any way. The god glared daggers at Danny as he backed away and turned invisible, letting Danny out of his frozen bind at the same time. In the matter of a few brief seconds, the god was gone.

A/N: Well, I hoped you readers enjoyed the chapter. Sorry again for not updating as quickly as I said I would. The next chapter will have Sam, Tucker, and other people in the show. Please leave a review! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3 Rescue Mission

A/N: I really have nothing else to say but thanks for the reviews. And I'm sorry that my updates aren't very frequent. I'm busy with finals for 11th grade. My school is insane about them, knowing what I'm going to do in college, and which college to go to. In other words, I hate school. But thanks for being patient and waiting for my updates.   
Disclaimer: You have to ride the short bus if you believe I own anything Danny Phantom.   
Chapter 3 Rescue Mission   
"Danny!" Maddie Fenton screamed up the stairs, on her very last nerve with her boy. "Breakfast!" The woman yelled at the top of her lungs. Her husband and daughter at the kitchen table winced at the loud sound as they silently ate their breakfast.   
"He must be really sleepy if he won't get up after that," Jazz said as she watched her mother come into the room in a huff.   
"He was going to come ghost hunting with us today at the pool," Jack said with sadness in his booming voice. He looked seriously disappointed when he realized Danny wasn't going with him and Maddie.   
Jazz rolled her eyes before stating bluntly to her father, "Danny wanted to _swim_ at the pool today, not put a snorkel in his mouth and test for ghost radiations in those pee infested waters." She shivered at the thought of the unsanitary public place.   
"But he told us he would come," Maddie said as she sat down at the table with her arms crossed. She worried about her son too much. "I don't like the fact that he's not even answering me." Maddie was in an unnatural bad mood that morning.   
"Let him sleep," Jazz said to her parents with a weak, sleepy smile. "There must be a reason he's sleeping in today."   
"Fine with me!" Jack said as he jumped up out of his seat. He grabbed a pair of goggles and a snorkel from the table and snapped the awkward gear on with a wide grin spreading across his face. "C'mon, Maddie!" Jack said while grabbing his wife's arm. "Let's get there before some shark ghosts start to feed on those poor, defenseless kids!"   
With that declared, Jack bounded very ungracefully out the door with his wife in tow. The front door whacked open just as Sam and Tucker showed up. With yells of alarm, the two dove for cover as Jack and Maddie rushed down the steps.   
"Do I even want to ask?" Sam asked Jazz as she and Tucker ventured cautiously into the house.   
"Why is your dad loading a scuba tank into the back of the RV?" Tucker asked with confusion.   
Jazz sighed. "Pool ghosts," was her simple answer. The two nodded with sudden understanding. Tucker closed the door before they walked deeper into the house and into the kitchen where Jazz was. "Danny is sleeping soundly in his room," Jazz told them. She handed Tucker a glass of water and said, "You might have to wake him with this."   
The two friends gave each other evil smiles and rushed up the stairs to force Danny awake. Sam flung Danny's bedroom door open and took two steps in before stopping dead in her tracks with a gasp. Tucker slammed into her back and ended up landing on his butt and spilling the glass of water. He looked up to yell something at Sam but caught himself when he saw what had made her stop.   
"Where is it, you little brats?" Plasmius asked Tucker and Sam with frustration. From the looks of it, the man had completely destroyed Danny's room. The bed had been turned over along with the dresser. Clothes were haphazardly thrown around the room, some even caught up in the window's curtain rod. Other random possessions of the ghost boy were scattered across the floor, making it look like a tornado had gone through the place.   
"Where's Danny?" Sam yelled back. Even though her voice was firm and steady, she was really freaking out on the inside. Danny was gone and Vlad was trashing his room. The situation didn't sound good.   
Vlad smiled wickedly at the two before stating with pride, "You're little friend is gone. He's stuck in the past with no way out. Its amazing how much fun a ghost portal can be if you know who to throw into the portal at just the right time."   
Sam and Tucker just stared at Vlad with wide eyes of terror. At the time their heads couldn't compute what the man had just said. Sam took an uncertain step backwards and Tucker scooted back with his hands as Plasmius walked hauntingly towards them. That same malevolent smile had seemed to have planted itself there on his face.   
"Now, tell me where the Infimap is," Vlad ordered menacingly.   
"We don't have it," Sam lied quickly.   
Vlad gave a knowing laugh before saying, "I know you adolescences have it. The walls have eyes. I saw you three just yesterday handling it at the Nasty Burger."   
"You've been spying on us?" Tucker asked, more creeped out than scared. "That's kinda against the law, you know?"   
"It lets me know what you three pests are always up to," Vlad explained himself with an exasperated tone. "But that does not matter. What matters now is that you have the Infimap and I know it is somewhere in this building. Give it to me."   
"No," Sam said defiantly.   
At the same time Tucker asked, "Why?"   
"You ask too many questions," Vlad growled at Tucker before he turned intangible to slip through the floor and down to the kitchen. The two friends heard Jazz scream as she was rudely interrupted from her breakfast by the intruding ghost who had just phased through the ceiling.   
"We have to get to the map before Vlad does," Sam told Tucker as she yanked him to his feet. They ran out of the room and down the stairs, heading for the basement. "The map is the only thing that will show us where Danny is right now. I'm afraid he's in a lot of trouble."   
"Since when was Danny ever not in trouble?" Tucker asked as they rushed to the basement door.   
Vlad ducked as Jazz crazily swung a broom over his head. He glanced out of the doorway to see Sam and Tucker running toward the basement. He smiled wickedly and phased through the floor just as Jazz made another wild swing at him.   
Sam and Tucker arrived at the bottom of the basement's steps just in time to see Vlad spot the map on a cluttered lab table. Sam sprinted for the map as Vlad flew toward it. Just as Sam was about to grab it off the counter, Plasmius sent a pink force field at her. The shield slammed into the girl, sending her sprawling backwards with an alarmed cry.   
"Sam!" Tucker yelled his friend's name while seeing the event's unfold. He rushed to her side to help her to her feet. At the same time Plasmius vanished into the open ghost portal with a triumphant laugh.   
"What is going on?" Jazz asked as she flew down the stairs to join her brother's best friends. "Why was Vlad here and where did he go?"   
"He has the map," Sam explained with a defeated sigh. She let Tucker help her to her feet. "He also said he pushed Danny into a vanishing ghost portal. Danny's somewhere out there and has no way back home. We have to go find him!"   
"Calm down, Sam," Tucker said. He gave the two girls a proud smile before saying, "The map isn't going to go far. I threw a tracking device on it just before Vlad got to it. He was too busy pushing Sam out of the way to notice."   
Sam and Jazz smiled at the techno geek, overjoyed at his small accomplishment.   
"We'll take the Specter Speeder into the Ghost Zone and follow Vlad," Sam told Jazz. "You need to stay here and…um…make sure your parents don't find out about Danny being gone. It would only cause chaos. Plus, Vlad could come back or we might get stuck in here ourselves. We need someone to stay behind if that happens."   
Jazz didn't like the sound of Sam keeping her from participating in the search for Danny, but she was speaking all logic, which was hard for Jazz to deny. It was smart to have someone stay behind, but that didn't mean that Jazz wanted to be the one to do so. Frowning, Jazz showed her distaste in the idea before finally nodding and succumbing to the job bestowed upon her.   
Sam and Tucker nodded to the girl before running off to the Specter Speeder that was parked close to the Ghost Zone entrance. They hopped in and booted it up. The vehicle hummed to life as its jets started to warm up. Tucker got onto his PDA to track Vlad.   
"Go straight for two point one miles," a woman's voice emotionally said from the PDA.   
Sam glared at Tucker as she muttered, "Please don't tell me it's going to speak to us the whole time."   
"Don't call her an 'it', Sam," Tucker defended his technology. "It might hurt her feelings."   
Sam rolled her eyes. "Great," she muttered. "We better find Danny soon, or I might go insane." And with that said, Sam floored it and blasted the Specter Speeder into the Ghost Zone.   
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I had to pull the others into the story. The next chapter I have a picture for, so I can't wait to write more so I can get that one out. I'm open to any ideas for this fic. If you have a favorite Greek Mythology figure, I'm open to putting him or her in because I'm planning the plot out right now. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to update soon. 


	4. Chapter 4 Forced Help

A/N: Sorry for another long wait. I had finals this week, which drained everything out of me. But school ends this Monday, so updates will be frequent pretty soon. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned this show this fan fic would be a movie or episode. Because it is not means I do not own the show.

Chapter 4 Forced Help

"What's a demigod?" Danny asked Adelphos as the two walked through the dense forest.

Danny's eyes were constantly taking in the beauty of the land. Every bush, tree, and shrub was rich and deep in color. Flower patches were like seas of yellow, purple, and blue. An earthy smell hung abundantly on the air. A breeze was like a wave of sensations. The teen hadn't loved nature till now. He now saw what Sam saw in it.

"You're a demigod, Danny," Adelphos explained with a chuckle. "Maybe you are suffering some memory loss from that bump in the river. I still can't believe you took on a god."

"No," Danny stopped the centaur, "I'm no demigod. I'm just half ghost and half human."

Adelphos gave Danny a curious look. "Well, that is what a demigod is," he said slowly. "What is interesting about you, Daniel, is that you have many of the gods' powers. Most demigods only have one or two."

"Huh?" was all Danny could get out.

"Take Heracles for instance," Adelphos said.

Danny's eyes lit up. "Hey, I remember that dude," he said with excitement. "He's super strong or something like that, right?" Absently he muttered to himself, "Or was that Hercules? Greek mythology is so confusing!"

"At least not all your memory is gone," Adelphos said with a smile. "But yes. Heracles only has the strength of Zeus. He can not fly, freeze things, or shoot objects like you are able to do."

"Interesting," Danny murmured. He frowned as the sack over his shoulder suddenly became heavy as if something was in it. He slung it off his shoulder and peered inside. His sky blue eyes widened as he saw an unlit torch inside. He pulled the object out and stared at it with confusion.

"Oh my!" Adelphos said as he spotted the object. "W-where did you find that, Danny?"

"It just appeared in the bag," Danny said.

Adelphos quickly shoved Danny's hand holding the torch back into the sack. He looked around while whispering to Danny, "You shouldn't just flash that off at random. Why do you have the god's symbols in that bag?"

"I-I don't know!" Danny said. "The guy I took this bag from had stolen these things. I didn't know they were the gods' till Poseidon showed up with hands-a-waving. Which god owns this one? I'll return it as quickly as I can. I'll return all of the symbols if I have to."

Adelphos stared intently at Danny for a few seconds, letting his words sink in. He finally let go of Danny's wrist and stood back to think about what to do. Danny was in a bad situation that Adelphos didn't want to get involved in. He wanted to help the demigod out but not put his life at risk.

"This is serious, Danny," Adelphos said solemnly. "Those objects you have in that magical sack are powerful. The gods have been ready to go to war with them gone. For months they have blamed the humans and others for their absence. Returning them is not as easy as you may think."

"I can try," Danny ventured. It didn't look like he was going to get out of ancient Greece anytime soon. The best thing for him to do was try to set things straight that Vlad had made gone awry.

Adelphos sighed while giving Danny a warm smile. "Like every demigod I know, you are so willing to be brave and fend for both sides," he said.

"So you'll help me?" Danny asked hopefully.

"No," Adelphos said with a firm shake of his head. "That torch belongs to Demeter. She is not hard to find, but getting close enough to talk to her is a very difficult challenge. I am not fit to show you the way, but I know someone who, with enough talking to, will help you."

"Okay," Danny said with a smile.

Adelphos laughed at Danny's willingness. "I'll just warn you now," he said. "This person is a character."

"How bad could he be?" Danny asked with a cocky shrug.

-Few Hours Later-

"No."

"Oh, c'mon!" Danny pleaded.

The teen kept walking toward his shack-like house without giving Danny any second thought. Danny pursued with a frown planted on his face. He wasn't going to give up that easily. Plus, Adelphos had left the second he had dropped Danny off at the "helper's" house and he had no where to go. But so far the guy was refusing to assist Danny in any way.

Danny still couldn't get over the fact that the guy, Theo, was a half sphinx. As Danny followed him up to his house, he couldn't help but stare at the kid's flattened cat ears and twitching, long tail. Danny had expected someone a little bit more…normal. He hadn't seen even one normal human yet, and he had spent a few good hours in this new time period.

"I just need help finding the gods for a few days tops," Danny persisted with Theo.

Theo spun around in annoyance while saying, "The gods are dangerous. It's better to just abide by their rules and get on with your life. Leave."

With that said Theo spun back around and walked over to a wooden table right outside his shack. Lots of crumbled and fading papers were stacked up on the table. Other old instruments that Danny didn't know the name of were there too. One giant map was the center of attention there. Danny compared it to something very close to an old treasure map he would see in pirate movies.

Theo sorted through the stack of papers, his ears still flat to show his annoyance. He tried to busy himself in his life's work as Danny stood there trying to come up with words of persuasion. Theo sighed as he looked up and through his brown hair to see Danny still standing there.

"The answer is and always will be no, kid," Theo said while looking back to his map. "Now go find a portal and go back to your original time period. Ancient Greece isn't exactly a real vacation spot at the moment."

Danny's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know that I'm not from here?" he asked. "You know about ghost portals?"

"As a demigod, I know a lot of things," Theo said with an unfriendly smile. "As a banished demigod, I know more than the average god could comprehend."

"Still bitter are we?" Danny muttered sarcastically under his breath.

One of Theo's cat ears caught the remark. He looked up at the other teen with narrowed hard, brown eyes. "You ghosts live with so many privileges in the future," he spat at Danny. "Don't go talking about me being bitter and crap with me around, kid. You've seen nothing, so I advise you to leave before you see any."

"I'm not leaving till I have someone agreeing to help me find a few gods," Danny said, crossing his arms. He had tried the nice way and pleading with this guy. It was now time to change strategies again. "Just show me where Demeter lives and I'll leave you alone."

Theo quickly looked up from his work, wonder all over his face now. "Why on earth would you want to find her?" he asked in almost a whisper.

"Um…I have her torch," Danny said as he held up the sack he was still holding.

For a second Danny could swear he saw fear in Theo's eyes. But quickly the half sphinx wiped the expression off his face and replaced it with one of stubbornness. "There is no way you are going to make me go see Demeter again."

"Adelphos said finding her was no problem," Danny said. "Apparently you're a map maker, so couldn't you just make me a quick map and show me where to go. You don't have to come with me."

"This map isn't like your maps, kid," Theo said quietly. He studied Danny with critical eyes for a few seconds, contemplating his few options.

A wisp of blue, cold air escaped Danny's mouth.

"Where are they, Theo?" a voice asked from right behind the young demigod. Theo stiffened in surprise as Danny bent to one side to see who was there. He wondered how anyone could have just appeared there. Theo's house was out in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Danny or Theo would have been able to see anyone approach…unless it was a god.

Theo deftly spun around to face the god. Danny noticed the half sphinx roll up the map he was working on behind his back and stuff it into the back of his belt. It was clear to Danny that Theo wanted to keep that map away from any god or goddess's eyes.

"Hermes, what brings you here? I didn't know I was important enough to the gods to get fan mail these days," Theo said with a smooth smile. Everything about the demigod was smooth. Danny just guessed it was because he was practically half cat.

Hermes shot Theo a mysterious smile while crossing his arms. The god looks more like an elf than a god, Danny thought. He had the pointy ears, the sharp features on his face, and an addictive mischievous evil grin. Because he was the messenger god, he was tall and strong, a perfect track and field runner. He wore the ever repetitive Ancient Greek toga like Theo and Poseidon wore.

"Where are my shoes, Theo?" Hermes asked again.

"I have no clue," Theo said truthfully. He glanced back to Danny to see him looking into his sack with surprise all over his face. Danny shoved his hand into it and then pulled out the pair of shoes with wings on the heels. Theo frowned and shot Danny a confused look. "Where did you get those?" he asked.

Hermes was literally by Danny's side in less than a second. Speed was always on Hermes's side. He glared at Danny and held out his hand to receive the shoes. Danny smiled nervously at the god and handed the symbol of power over to him.

"Thank you," Hermes said while breaking out into a smile as the shoes were placed into his hand. "I've heard that you are not the thief but plan on returning all the stolen symbols back to the gods," he said to Danny. He looked Danny up and down, quickly sizing him up. "If this is true, I could give a message to each god to expect their symbols returned soon."

"How could you possibly know that? I only said that like two or three hours ago," Danny said.

"I'm Hermes," the god said, that mysterious smile returning to his face. "I have my ways."

"Well, it's true that I didn't steal all the symbols or whatever you call 'em," Danny said. "But returning them will be the hard part." An idea suddenly came to him, and he had to resist the urge to smile wickedly at it. "I would be able to do so if Theo, here, would just show me where to go. He keeps refusing, though."

Theo's eyes widened in disbelief as he heard this. His ears flattened against his head a second later as the demigod had to keep down a hiss of anger. Instead, he gave Danny a pretend smile and asked innocently, "Where did you get that idea? I was willing to go with you."

Danny returned with the same fake smile and tone of voice. "Really?" he asked. "I don't think I got that vibe from you."

Hermes watched the exchange with a grin plastered to his face.

"Don't worry," Theo said, quickly back paddling. "I'll help you with whatever you want, Danny. How 'bout I even guide you to each god? We can leave right away. How does that sound?" It looked like smiling was going to kill Theo by now.

Danny smiled triumphantly. "That sounds great!" he said. "Thank you so much for the help!"

"No problem," Theo said.

"I'm glad you got that all settled out," Hermes said with a chuckle. He loved seeing the demigods fall over themselves to make the gods happy, Theo especially. "So that message will cost 20 coins."

"20 coins?" Theo spat back, totally changing his mood into one of disgust. "Yeah, right! I might kiss the gods' feet, but I don't have to suck up to them with cash. You can go give them their messages for 5 coins."

"Trying to bargain, are you?" Hermes asked. He shook his head with an evil smile. "Not very smart of you."

"Ten coins," Theo said.

"19 coins."

"12."

"17."

"15."

"Done," Hermes said quickly. "You're a hard one to please, Theo."

Theo ignored the comment as he grabbed a small pouch off his table. He poured a few coins out on his hand, counted them silently in his head, and then handed the coins to the god. The god counted them out loud. After saying a number, a coin would disappear. Danny watched this in pure amazement. After a year of ghost hunting and he still wasn't used to the strangeness of it all.

"Nice doing business with you," Hermes said after all the coins were counted. He turned to Danny and said, "The gods will expect their symbols in a few days. Have fun traveling." And with that said, the god was gone.

Theo glared daggers at Danny. "You are going to regret doing that," he hissed at the other demigod. He spun around and stormed into his hut, growing profanity under his breath.

"I asked nicely," Danny defended himself from outside the shack. "Plus, you will only be guiding me for a few days. And with the word out, the gods and goddesses will expect me and hopefully not attack me." He paused for an answer. When he got none he asked loudly, "Hey, shouldn't we start soon?"

Theo emerged through the doorway and threw a pile of clothes at him. "Exactly," he spat back. "But you can't go out looking like some space alien with that jumpsuit. Get dressed while I pack some food, water, and other gear." He sighed before saying, "We might need some weapons as well."

"Sounds good!" Danny said with a bright smile. He wanted to lift Theo's downcast and ugly mood and start anew. He was going to have to spend a few days with the guy. He might as well as try to make it bearable for Theo.

Theo stared at Danny blankly for a second before muttering sarcastically, "Of course."

A/N: Okay, I know I said I had a picture for this chapter, but I don't have it on DA yet. Once I do, though, I'll tell you guys to go check out my bio where I will have the link. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Flower Power

A/N: School is finally out! And I did great on my finals! Thanks to the people who wished me luck. And without further to do…enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I watch it. I love it. I write a fic about it. But that doesn't mean I own it.

Chapter 5 Flower Power

The woods were getting thicker and thicker with each step. Theo drove the small party of two as if he had a death wish. Danny spent most of his time running or flying to stay with the demigod. The whole time Theo would sparsely talk to Danny. The boy was getting fed up with being ignored.

"Why were you banished and from where?" Danny suddenly asked out of the blue. He felt better once the big question floating around in his mind was out in the open.

One of Theo's cat ears spun around to catch Danny's sentence. Danny had spent a long time watching the demigod as they had walked through the deep forest for the past few hours. He was only Danny's height with fine, trim muscles. Instead of skin, he had very short, tan fur. Most of the time his brown hair hung in his face and ever observant chestnut colored eyes.

Like his fuzzy, twitching tail, Theo's eyes, and sometimes ears, were everywhere as they walked through the forest. It was like he was on the lookout for danger the whole time. For the first hour Danny had spent it looking around with worry. But he quickly found out that it was only part of Theo's personality complex.

Theo looked back at Danny, who had currently gotten himself caught in some thorns while asking the question, and frowned. He stopped and watched Danny struggle to get free as he answered, "I was banished from Egypt. The reason was that the gods from there didn't like me."

Danny finally decided to go intangible to escape the thorns. Theo raised an eyebrow when seeing this but didn't say anything as he continued to walk ahead. Danny ran to catch up. Theo kept on a straight path as Danny weaved around trees to stay by Theo's side.

"Why didn't they like you?" Danny asked. He smiled slightly as he said sarcastically, "'Cause you're such a likable person."

"Funny," Theo said with an unfriendly smile. "They didn't like me because I was different. I didn't conform to their ways and multiple rules. I broke too many rules, so there went my home, my family and friends, and my life in Egypt.

"Now look at me. I'm stuck in Greece and being the gods' and goddesses' perfect little demigod. I'm too scared to be ever be banished again. After losing one life, you don't want to lose another." He then pulled out his map that was tied to his toga's belt. "But this is going to change everything," he told Danny passionately. It was the first time Danny had seen the guy actually open up. "I'd be able to go anywhere after this map is finished. No more gods to obey. I'll be finished with his place."

"But you said that you knew about the ghost portals," Danny said. "Why haven't you gone through them to escape this place?"

"Tried, but there are rules to how long you can stay in different places," Theo explained. "Like right now, you're close to breaking that rule. There's a whole thing about upsetting time and destiny crud."

"So how are you going to get around that rule?" Danny asked.

Theo grinned wickedly. "I have some connections with the guy who runs the place," he said. "I make him this map, and he lets me go wherever I want." Danny gave him a confused look. Theo shrugged. "So, you haven't told me your cute, little story yet. How did you get from Amity Park to Ancient Greece?"

Danny was surprised by the question. He didn't think Theo would ever be interested in him. "How do you know about my life in Amity Park?" Danny asked. "You knowing that creeps me out to no end."

Theo gave a sharp laugh. "Let's just say that I've traveled a lot to make this map," he said.

"Okay," Danny said, satisfied with the answer for the moment. He explained to the demigod him being pushed into the portal with the sack of god symbols by Vlad. He told him about his fight with Poseidon and everything up to when he had first met Theo. By the time he was finished with the story, the two were having trouble picking their ways through the forest.

"I'm officially tired of thorny vines," Danny announced after a few more minutes of walking in silence.

"Seeing them means were close, very close," Theo said.

Soon they had to duck and jump over thick, deep green vines that twisted in and out of trees and their bulky trunks. The bright afternoon sky faded away as a canopy of leaves and vines obscured it from view. The air became wet with a white mist, and the humidity steadily became higher as they pushed on.

"Don't hurt or tear anything that is green," Theo said once the ground no longer was grass, but was vines and puddles. "To take a break from her 'hard' work on the fields this year, Demeter comes here to surround herself in what she loves best, plant life."

"Jeez, this place is like an extreme jungle," Danny observed out loud. He had to watch his step anywhere he went. He noticed Theo carefully doing the same ahead of him. Sometimes Danny would catch at the corner of his eye a vine move or twitch. Every time it did this, Theo's ear would turn to catch the slight sound and he would become more serious in his steps.

The attack came with little to no warning. A vine shot out of what seemed like nowhere and wrapped itself around one of Theo's ankles. It zipped upwards, sending Theo off his feet and dangling into the air. Another vine did the same to Danny.

"She's near," Theo told Danny from where they were hanging upside down.

"You think? Does she have to string us up like caught animals?" Danny asked, thoroughly annoyed.

"She's not done with playing with us just yet," Theo said. Danny shot him a look. "Hey, don't look at me like that, kid. You're the one who wanted to go meet her, not me. I'm just here for the free candy."

A vine shot out of the swarm of them above the two. Theo raised a forearm to block it from wrapping around his throat. Instead, it enclosed around the arm in a vice grip. The demigod grunted in pain.

Another vine flung itself down upon Danny from above. Danny simply dodged the attack by swinging away. The vine lodged itself into the ground with a thud. A third vine came for Danny. It latched onto his wrist and squeezed.

"Don't go intangible," Theo told Danny quickly. "Just…just humor her."

"You got to be kidding me," Danny said. "Are these gods and goddesses really that strict and Nazi?"

Theo shot Danny a confused look. "Nazi?" he asked. "Do I even want to know what that means?"

"Right now is not the time for a history lesson," Danny pointed out with a grunt as he dodged another attacking vine. This one zipped past his head, inches away from boring into his skull.

Suddenly the vines stopped attacking. The two teens were by now gasping for breath; sweat dripping down their foreheads and backs from effort. It was hard to dodge vines while being upside down. The jungle ahead of them opened up. A giant blood red rose emerged from the vines.

And sitting on the rose as if it was her throne was Demeter.

She looked to be in her late 30's or early 40's. She had long, flowing light brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders and went the entire way to her knees. Multicolored flowers were scattered throughout her wild hair. She wore a toga made purely out of banana leaves. Her brown eyes took in her captives with a twinkle of evilness in them.

"Theo," she finally said after a silent minute of observation. Her eyes rested upon the demigod just as a vine met its mark. It shot out and wrapped itself around Theo's neck. "What brings you back to me after a whole year of absentness? I was beginning to think you didn't like me."

"We are here to return –," Theo started but stopped when the vine around his neck tightened.

Demeter giggled while leaning back on her rose throne. She gave a small motion of her hand for Theo to come closer. The vines obeyed her power, moving so that Theo's upside down face was dangling just in front of hers. She smiled evilly as she said, "Or maybe you're just scared of me."

Theo said nothing at all. He set his jaw and only stared back at Demeter. Danny was surprised that the demigod didn't look scared or nervous at all. He looked more rebellious than anything else.

After a long, painful minute, Demeter dropped her smile and said, "You bore me, Theo. I can't read you anymore." She waved her hand in dullness. The vines holding Theo moved back to their original spot. The goddess turned her new attention to Danny. When her eyes rested on him Danny felt like a cornered mouse.

"Um…I'm here to give you back your symbol," Danny said, anxiety running deep in his voice. He looked around for his sack and quickly spotted it on the ground. As he fruitlessly stretched downward to grab the sack he rambled on. "I'm sure Hermes told you about me and how I didn't steal it…only returning it."

"Having troubles?" Demeter asked Danny with a snake-like smile.

Danny frowned as he saw this smile. Boy, Theo wasn't kidding when he asked why he would ever want to meet Demeter. The goddess was one who shouldn't even make contact with the world, she was that evil. She would rather play with her new victims than take her symbol back.

"I'd like to be leaving now," Danny said as kindly as he could to the goddess. Her stare was twisting up all his insides. He couldn't take it anymore. "You have your torch back; now let us go…please."

Demeter threw her head back and laughed light heartedly. Danny nervously glanced over to Theo for help. The demigod was busy maneuvering in his vine binds to get something he had put in his sandal before leaving his house. Demeter stopped her laughing and moved her rose throne closer to Danny.

"You are so cute and naïve," she said with a playful giggle. She stroked her slender fingers through the boy's silver hair while saying, "I wonder how long it would take you to escape if I kept you as my prisoner."

"Not long," Theo suddenly spoke up. Demeter screamed in pain and rage as the demigod swung the hidden knife from his sandal over his head and sliced the vine around his neck. "Turn intangible, Danny!" he ordered the other teen as he deftly cut off the rest of his binds while dodging other ones attacking him from above.

Danny slipped through his vines then threw his arm back, making his hand into a fist. "I'm nobody's prisoner, lady!" he yelled as he punched her hard in the face. The goddess didn't see it coming at all and had no time to react. The momentum sent her spiraling off her rose throne and into a tangle of her own vines.

"You want to die?" Theo screamed at Danny in disbelief. He cut the last of the vines holding him and landed on all fours like a cat on the ground. He quickly sheathed the knife and sprung back to his feet. "You don't go punching gods and goddesses!" he told Danny.

"I'm sorry?" Danny said with just as much tenseness in his voice. "Did you want her to make us her prisoners or not?"

Theo shook his head with a grim frown planted on his face. He grabbed Danny's sack, opened it, and threw Demeter's torch at her throne. He gave the sack back to Danny while saying in a hurry, "Fly us out of here. Just go straight up."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Danny said as he saw Demeter get to her feet in a royal huff. Danny grabbed Theo's wrists, turned intangible, and blasted upward. It was like they were in a sea of green as they flew through layer after layer of vines and leaves. It took a while for them to reach the top of the canopy. One second it was green; the next it was a blast of beautiful colors of a sunset.

"We're not out of this yet," Theo told Danny. "Head straight toward that forest. Go as fast as you can and don't ever stop. I'll try to fend her attacks off."

Danny glanced behind him as he switched directions in midair. His eyes went wide as he saw a million vines fly out of the canopy of the jungle. They all had one, evil minded destination…him.

If that didn't motivate the kid to fly harder, he didn't know what could. Danny tightened his grip on Theo's wrists and blasted forward at break neck speed. He rarely ever went this fast to avoid foes, especially while holding something for the fear of dropping them. But at this point, it was better to risk dropping Theo than to get caught by one of those vines.

"This is gonna be fun," Theo muttered before slipping a hand out of Danny's grip. His shoulders burned from being pulled along by Danny, but he managed to think past the pain. He brought up his foot and pulled the dagger out again. He looked ahead for a second, calculated the distance it would take to be out of range, and cursed the goddess under his breath. It was unlikely they would make it.

The first vine had no chance against Theo's knife. He expertly sliced the thing before it could even touch him. The next few met the same demise. But then the next wave came in. Theo kept him and the ghost boy from slowing down, but he was having trouble doing so by the time the third wave came upon them.

At some point, a stray vine managed to wrap itself around one of Theo's ankles and pulled hard. With a short yell of alarm, Theo slipped right out Danny's grip. Danny pulled upward till he was going the opposite way he had been heading while upside down. He gritted his teeth as he put on more speed to go get Theo back.

Theo had sliced vine off his ankle, but he was still plummeting toward the jungle with a couple thousand vines ready to take him down once he got close. Now the chances of getting out of there were practically nothing. The demigod would have been swearing up a storm by now if he wasn't so afraid of his near future. Panic was resting at the door of his brain. He couldn't let it come in.

And suddenly Danny was back. He grabbed Theo's wrists just as some more vines grabbed Theo by the ankles. Now the poor demigod was caught in a violent game of extreme tug-a-war. He looked up into Danny's face and said sarcastically, "Don't let go."

Danny actually grinned. Even in the face of danger, and the guy was joking around. Theo was an odd one alright.

Danny's eyes turned an icy blue as he summed up some power. Seconds later, the vines holding onto Theo's ankles were green popsicles. Danny lifted a foot and smashed it upon the ice, cracking into a million different pieces and freeing Theo at the same time.

Theo was silent the rest of the way, totally devastated by what had just happened. It wasn't till Danny dropped him off onto the solid, dirt ground in the forest that he managed to say something. "Since when did you have that ice power?" he asked with interest.

Danny landed in front of Theo and turned back into his human form with a flash of bright light. "Only recently," he answered.

"Um…this is kind of hard for me to say…but…back there…I—," he stumbled as he scratched the back of his neck in awkwardness.

"Are you thanking me?" Danny asked teasingly.

Theo sighed in defeat. "Sure," he said.

"Then, you're welcome," Danny said with a smile. He untied the sack from his belt and opened it to see what the next symbol was. He pulled out a wooden hunting bow and frowned in thought. The goddess's name was at the tip of his tongue. All he remembered was the moon, though.

Theo grinned as he saw the next object. "Now, that goddess I won't mind returning her symbol to," he said while walking ahead. Danny jogged to catch up. Once again he noticed Theo's cat ears picking up the night time sounds as the sun slowly fell behind the horizon. And once again Danny thought it would be strange to have ears that moved.

A/N: Hope you readers liked the chapter. Writing it was so much fun! I'll update as soon as I can. Please review. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6 To Hunt or To Be Hunted

A/N: Thanks for all those reviews for the last chapter! I'm sorry if I didn't get back to some of you. I've been busy looking up different myths and gods for this fic that I forget sometimes. Well, enjoy the chapter and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.

Chapter 6 To Hunt or to be Hunted

The two companions were silent as they were left in their own thoughts. A warm and inviting fire sparked and crackled between them. The fire's illumination cast out a low glow with the contrast of deep shadows that blended into the blackness of night. The heat of the fire kept Danny and Theo warm enough to keep from shivering from the cool spring night air.

The forest was alive with sounds. Frogs and various bugs chirped and sung for attention. Small game skirted across the ground at random times, avoiding the clutches of an owl or another predator. Sometimes the rush of wind through the leaves of the trees would make Danny wrap the blanket around him tighter. The forest was a totally new place at night.

"When do we get to see some action?" Danny asked Theo. "I'm tired of just sitting here waiting."

"When that full moon is exactly above us, then we will put out the fire and search for her," Theo answered from where he was working on his map. "We won't see too much action, but with Artemis around I'm sure we'll get some."

"So she's not psycho woman like Demeter?" Danny asked.

Theo smiled absently without looking up from his map. "Yeah," he said, "If you put it that way."

"So is the map some kind of treasure map or something?" Danny asked to start up a conversation. He couldn't sleep even though he was tired. A knot of apprehension was in his stomach, keeping him from slowing his brain down and resting.

"Uh…no," Theo answered simply.

"So where does it lead?" Danny asked, barely interested despite the mystery of it all.

Theo glanced up at Danny with a frown. Apparently he didn't like talking too much about it. "Many places," he finally answered after searching for the right words. "Do you mind changing the subject…or better yet, stop talking?"

"Moody, are we?" Danny asked testily.

"More like tired," Theo said bluntly. "I just know you're going to be the death of me."

"What is your problem?" Danny asked, going straight to the core.

Theo's ears flattened as he glared up at Danny through the fire between them. "What?" he asked in pretend confusion. "I'm not doing anything. You, though, are going to get us both killed with your stupidity."

Danny's boiling point was close to the peak now. He had dealt with Theo's moodiness for a long time, and he was sick of it. And the moment he had addressed it, he had gotten insulted. Theo needed to understand that he could dish it all he wanted, but he also had to expect to get some back.

"Why do you insult me so much?" Danny exploded. "All I'm trying to do is return some simple symbols to the gods out of good nature, and all you can do is complain. Can't you just take a second to see that what we are doing is better for the human race? Why is it killing you to do something right?"

"See, its 'logic' like that that will hinder us," Theo said while putting down his map. "Even after Demeter and you still think we'll be able to come out of this free demigods and a war will be prevented. Think, Danny! Demeter didn't care about her stupid symbol! All she wanted to do was mess with us. Most of the other gods are gonna be the same way. Seeing the symbols disappear didn't matter to them. They wanted this war for a long time."

"But…why?" Danny asked, more confused than angry now.

"Why?" Theo said with a sharp laugh. "Why do the ghosts in your time period mess with the human world?"

"Because…well…it's because they are just ghosts," Danny said with hesitation. "Actually, most of the smaller ones just want to be in the human world and not bother anyone. It's the bigger ones that want to control the world."

"There you go," Theo said with a nod. "They want to take back the world that was stolen from them. Right now, Danny, there is no ghost zone for these gods. Their home, their ruling place, is earth. In a couple hundred of years there will finally be one, but right now ghosts rule and humans try to get by…while all demigods are caught in the middle."

"Then how did I get here if there was no ghost zone?" Danny asked. He hated to be so clueless, but at least he was trying not to be by asking questions.

"It's the ghost zone," Theo said with a shrug. "It can take you anywhere if you know what you're doing. It can take you to any time or dimension. Portals to there can open from here, but there is no set portal in this time period that will let you go to the ghost zone."

Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This whole going back in time thing has got my head spinning," he mumbled. "So what do you want me to do about the symbols? I can't just leave them here."

"We're going to return them," Theo said. "Hermes already gave them the message. It would be more stupid to not give the symbols back than to actually go out and meet them. One thing you don't want is an angry god. And you haven't even seen what some of the top ones can do."

Silence returned to the two. Danny absent mindedly poked the fire with a long stick. He missed his friends, his family, and the comforting feeling of familiarity of Amity Park. Ancient Greece was nothing how the textbooks said it was. It had been made out to be something fun and exotic.

For Danny it turned out to be something out of a nightmare. He felt like he was constantly in the dark. Theo wasn't much of a help either. The guy was distant, secretive, and exceedingly moody. At least with Sam and Tucker Danny could talk to them and settle out differences. Theo, on the other hand, didn't even want to address the issues.

At the thought of Sam, Danny smiled sadly into the fire. He missed her so much. He was surprised with himself at the thought. It was just too strange for him to really like someone who had grown up with him as his best friend. But deep down he missed her the most. She would have liked Ancient Greece. She was a history buff who never liked to admit it. She was so smart that way.

_Whoosh!_

Something flew straight over Danny's head and the blazing fire. Danny looked up in surprise to see a net wrap around Theo's whole body, sending the demigod straight to the ground. Turning ghost, Danny sprung to his feet and flew over to the fallen Theo.

"Jeez! You think I would have seen that one coming," Theo hissed at himself. He whipped out his dagger and sliced through the net he was tangled in. The moment he was free he leapt over to his map, shoved it into his belt, and then sprinted into the forest motioning for Danny to follow.

"What the heck is going on?" Danny asked as he flew beside Theo. "I thought you said you and Artemis were great old pals. Don't tell me she decided to change her mind."

Theo shot him a look. "I told you she wasn't crazy like Demeter, that doesn't mean Artemis won't hunt you when she gets the chance," he said, a faint smile coming to the corner of his lips. "Just play her game. Have you ever played tag with no bases?"

"What?" Danny was flabbergasted by now. "Are you crazy?"

"Just if you get tagged, you're dead," Theo said with a sharp, ironic laugh. "Hey, you wanted some action. Here it is. Let's split up to make her work for it."

"Yeah, you're crazy," Danny said.

The two then departed. Danny weaved in and out of tree trunks, grazing a few as he flew tightly around some. The only light to go by was the few rays of silver light from the full moon shining brightly above him. He wondered if Artemis would go after him or Theo. He hoped it wasn't him because he had never been too good at the game of tag.

Danny slammed to a stop as he saw something fly past him, only a few inches away from his face. His eyes were wide as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He searched the forest for the goddess by doing a quick 360. He wondered where Theo was. Maybe he had ditched him.

Another object whizzed by his head. This time Danny caught the shimmering glint of the tiny blade as it flew past him. Someone was throwing knives at him!

"Could this day get any better?" Danny asked him himself with sarcasm running deep in his voice. He pushed his feet off a tree and blasted into another part of the forest, coming close numerous times to hitting a tree head on. But the teen was well trained with his powers and was in total control.

An idea suddenly came to him as he was speeding through the forest. Maybe he could lead Artemis to him then trap her. Wouldn't that be cool? Practically no one would be able to say that they caught Artemis during a hunt. But he would have to be smart. He also needed a good place to set the trap up.

A few minutes later the ghost boy found it. He shot out into a small clearing where a pond was. The frogs were the loudest here as they croaked their songs. The moon light twinkled on the tranquil, flat water of the pond. The moon's beautiful reflection illuminated the small clearing with a dim blue color.

Danny smiled as he landed on the other side of the pond and took out the bow from the sack at his side. The goddess would see him, go across the water, and then Danny would freeze her in place. It was nonviolent, simple, and somewhat smart for something that had been made up right on the spot.

Artemis was stealthy and silent as she snuck up behind Danny with a smirk on her lips. The boy was quick, but it was like trying to fool a fox. He didn't know the game, so he was lost from the very start. If she really had been hunting him, he would have been decapitated by now.

"You lose," Artemis whispered hauntingly into Danny's ear from behind. She grinned when seeing his surprised face as he spun around to face her. She brought up a long leg and slammed it into Danny's chest, forcing him off balance. With a giant splash, the ghost boy fell into the pond.

Without missing a beat, the goddess spun around and rolled backwards just as Theo leapt down from his perch on the tree above her. As she rolled, Theo landed on her bent legs. Then she threw him into the air as she thrust him over her head. A small yell of alarm escaped the demigod as he found himself flying over the pond and right into Danny. With cries of pain, the two collided violently with each other and landed into the water together.

Artemis laughed in triumph and amusement at them as she watched the two from the shore. She looked young, maybe in her late 20's. Her dark brown hair was twisted into a complicated bun on her head. Her matching colored eyes shined with the excitement of the hunt in them. Her features were sharp, and her figure was powerful. She sported a skimpy outfit made entirely out of animal hide and leather. She was also bare foot. The goddess was gorgeous and dangerous looking all at the same time.

"Get off me!" Theo yelled at Danny as he shoved the ghost boy away from him and stood up in the foot deep pond. "I HATE the water!" His ears were so flat it looked like they weren't even there. His tail snapped angrily around his shivering body. The pond water was freezing.

Danny shoved Theo back with a look of distaste clearly showing on his face. He wasn't all too pleased to be totally out witted and pushed into the pond as well. Like Theo, the boy was shivering too. He hugged his body while staring at Artemis through his dripping silver wet hair.

"That was fun, boys, but do give me a challenge next time," Artemis teased them from the shore. She bent down to their height and asked with a cruel smile, "How does it feel to get your butts beaten by a girl?"

"Swell," Theo growled back.

"Peachy," Danny said at the same time, just as thrilled as his companion shaking beside him.

Artemis' grin widened as she lifted up both her hands and pushed both boys off their feet at the same time. The two didn't expect the move and ended up falling back into the cold waters of the pond again with shouts of dismay. Artemis laughed again and picked up her bow as the two boys struggled back to their feet.

"I'd love to stay and chat, boys, but I have some more hunting to do," she told them. She turned to leave but thought of something at the last second. She focused on Theo and said, "Next time, Theo, don't be so slow. You could have had a chance if you were a bit quicker. And you," she pointed to Danny, "Thank you for the return of my symbol. But do not ever cross me. If I ever find out it was you who stole my bow, I will not hesitate in destroying you."

Danny and Theo watched in silence as the goddess spun back around and vanished into the darkness of the forest. Grumbling under their breaths, the two boys waded out of the ice chilling pond. The only thing dented was their pride, which was hard to get back after that disaster.

"This does not get spoken of…ever," Theo told Danny as they rung their soggy togas out and shook gooey pond mud off of their sandals.

"What should never be spoken of?" someone asked from behind the two.

Both demigods spun around in surprise just as Danny's ghost sense went off a little too late. Hermes gave them his trademark mysterious smile as he folded his arms in front of him. He looked the companions up and down and had to hold down a chuckle.

"Artemis?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" Theo asked, avoiding the humiliating answer. It was the first time Danny was thankful for Theo's constant topic changing attitude.

"You're a bit moody today," Hermes pointed out. Theo and Danny just stared back at the god. They were too tired and worn out to do or say anything else. Hermes took the dead pan stares as his cue to get on with the message. He cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back before saying, "The gods and goddesses expect to see their symbols before the next new moon. They say if all are not returned, a war will be declared between them and the human race. That is all. If you want to respond, that will be 20 coins."

Danny wearily glanced over to Theo for help. Theo only stared at Hermes in disbelief. Danny knew that it wouldn't be easy to return all the symbols in only two weeks. He and Theo had been lucky this far to get done with four of them, but they didn't have enough energy to manage that again. Plus, two of the four had come to Danny for their symbols.

"No, wait," Theo protested finally. His anger had been replaced with weariness. "We can't do that in two weeks, Hermes. There must be another option."

"Another message is 20 coins," Hermes said with a pitiless shrug.

"What you're saying is an impossible task," Danny spoke up. "We are going to kill ourselves if we rush like that. Can't you give us another week or something?" For once the ghost boy saw the danger of his mission. The gods _wanted_ this war!

"20 coins," Hermes said.

"I don't have that money and you know that!" Theo exploded. "Why do you guys always feel the need to send demigods through the Underworld to do your dirty work? Just give us an extra week."

"I don't feel like arguing with you kids," Hermes said, annoyed. "Either give me money for a message or I'm leaving now. What's it going to be?"

Danny and Theo shared exhausted glances. "I don't have money like that," Theo said in defeat.

"Then good luck," Hermes said, his smile returning. "You're really going to need it." Then he was gone.

The second the god was gone Theo fell apart. He dropped down to the ground and ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head while muttering, "What did I get myself into? I'm doomed. I'm not even near to finishing the map. I'm doomed."

Danny frowned down at Theo. This was not good. Theo seemed like the guy who could keep his cool. Seeing him freak out like this was new…but it needed to be stopped right away. Danny scooped up a handful of cold pond water and flung it into Theo's face.

Spurting water out of his face, Theo glared up at Danny. The ghost kid crossed his arms and said down to the demigod, "Pull yourself together, dude. Yeah, we have an impossible job ahead of us, but that doesn't give us the time to have a brain fart and a melt down. And I'm not saying this because I'm clueless, but we have a chance. I've been in more tight situations like this than you can dream of. The only way I got through was because I always had hope. And we still have some. Now, get up and move on."

Theo sighed and hung his head. "Splash some more water into my face," he demanded in a mumble. Danny didn't hesitate to obey. Once another splash of water was dripping down his face, Theo stood up with a fatigued smile.

"I'll be good in a second," he said to Danny. Then he smoothly pushed the other teen into the pond. Danny stared up at Theo in shock and anger after splashing into the ice cold waters. Theo gave him a wide grin and said, "I think I'm okay now."

Danny's eyes flashed green before he pointed a finger at one of Theo's feet. A green ray zipped out of his finger and efficiently succeeded in tripping the demigod. Theo fell face first into the pond. He sat up quickly and looked Danny straight in the eye…then squirted water out of his mouth into Danny's face.

For a moment the two only glared at each other, daring the other to make the first move.

"We're even," Theo finally said with a genuine grin, the first Danny had ever seen from him.

"Good," Danny said. He couldn't keep himself from smiling too.

As the two pulled themselves out of the pond again, Theo looked up at Danny and asked, "What does 'dude' mean?" Danny only laughed till his sides hurt.

A/N: After many hours of going over many interesting, funny, and disturbing myths, I think I finally have my plot to this fic planned out. This whole time it had been made up chapter by chapter. And now that I have a plot, it means I'm committed to finishing this fic. Yay! Ha, ha! I just felt the need to tell that to you faithful readers. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7 Captain Phantom

A/N: I'm such a geek because I'm so excited to write more in this fic. Not much else to say but to enjoy the chapter and give a review when you're done reading. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I wish I did own it…but sadly I do not.

Chapter 7 Captain Phantom

"Okay, here's the plan," was the first sound Danny heard as he woke up the next morning. He gave a sleepy moan and rolled over to block Theo out. Danny had only managed to sleep for a few hours; five at the most, because it took him forever to dry off in front of the fire. He was in no mood for Theo and the Greek world.

Theo incessantly tapped Danny's back with the tip of his sandal to get the ghost boy awake. He would like to sleep for another hour too, but they had some traveling to do. The next two weeks were going to be rough. They couldn't afford to do anything they wanted.

"I'm up now, Theo, happy?" Danny grumbled up at Theo. The demigod sat down next to Danny and placed a map of Greece right on Danny's stomach to go over the plan. Danny rubbed his tired eyes and sat up with a sigh.

"We're here," Theo said while pointing to their spot on the map on Danny's stomach with a forefinger. "I've decided that we shouldn't go with what your sack as been telling us."

"Meaning?" Danny asked with a tight smile.

"Your magical sack has been showing us to each god or goddess that has been the closest to us," Theo explained. "Only one symbol shows up at a time when the god or goddess is near. But what I'm telling you is that it will be smarter to plan out a route."

"I like it so far," Danny said. "Go on."

Danny studied Theo closely as the demigod stared intently at the map. Theo was different than what he was before. Now that he was into the mission, actually trapped into it, his passion and devotion showed. Danny could just imagine the wheels spinning rapidly in Theo's head as he tapped his chin, clearly in deep thought.

"I know how to find some of the gods by myself," Theo said. "We have a one shot at this thing. We can't just trust that the sack will show us the way the whole time. So what I propose is that we go here first." He pointed to a place on the map that was close to the Middle East, "Then work our way back to Mount Olympus where we will either make it or break it. Then there is the issue of the Underworld…," he trailed off in thought.

"We'll think about that when the time comes," Danny said with the shake of his head. There was just so much to take in and things to do. It was going to overwhelm him if he didn't put it out of his mind right away. "Let's just get some food and start walking."

Theo snatched the map off of Danny's stomach and pulled his sleepy companion to his feet. "Oh, we're not going to walk all the way to our destination, unless you don't care about flying for a whole day while carrying me," he said with smile. He knew that would be terrible on Danny, so he already had a transportation plan in mind.

"No, let's do this your way," Danny said in a rush. "I do like the less painful ways."

-Three Days Later-

"Hey, a symbol appeared in my bag!" Danny whispered urgently to Theo. The two had paid two coins to a human farmer to permit them a ride on the back of his hay cart which he was riding to the city of Athens. It took about a day for the two to get used to the jostle and bumpiness of the cart to finally manage to sleep after going without any for hours. Finally they had gotten close enough to a god or goddess to set the magic sack into action.

Theo was dozing on top of the pile of hay, for once looking at total ease. Danny climbed the tall pile and shook him awake. The demigod sat up and looked into the open sack silently, shaking off the tendrils of sleep still trying to pull him back into dream land.

"There are grapes in your sack," Theo stated dully.

"Aren't they the symbol for the god of wine or something?" Danny asked. It seemed like his brain was at last able to remember some things he had been taught about the gods and goddesses.

Theo stretched and gave a giant yawn. Then suddenly his eyes went wide as Danny's words hit him. "Dionysus, you mean?" he asked in surprise. He looked back into the sack then looked around in confusion. "But there isn't a vineyard, tavern, or theater for miles! And Athens should be at least three more hours away."

The demigod was correct from what he saw. For miles on out there were only fields with freshly planted corn and other crops. Rolling hills carried these fields for as far as the eye could see. But it was evident that a town was coming up because small houses dotted the hills, and the dirt road they were traveling on was getting more and more crowded.

"Well, apparently there will be one," Danny said.

Theo whipped out his normal map from that morning and studied it for a second. "Did I sleep that long?" he asked Danny. "I didn't think I'd sleep for more than a few minutes."

"You were out for three days!" Danny answered. "You just now finally woke up. At one time I thought you were dead."

For a brief moment Theo believed Danny's words and looked like he was going to freak out. But then he saw the sly smile on Danny's face and frowned. "Cute," he muttered. "Seriously, how long was I…," he faded off as the cart they were on topped the hill, and they saw the large metropolis before them.

"Wow," was all Danny could think of to say.

Athens was huge. It wasn't tall and sleek like New York City or Chicago, but it was pretty big. All the buildings were made entirely out of large, cumbersome bricks. But somehow the Greeks could form the bricks into any shape possible. Colossal structures stood up by large, sculpted pillars. Smooth and polished statues dotted the busy streets. Even from a distance Danny felt the business, the rush of the city.

"We should stop by a theater performance at some point," Theo said. Danny noticed that the guy looked like he was so winded up that by a simple touch he would break. His cat ears were twisting in crazy directions, and his tail that had been seconds ago very calm was now a snappish mess. His eyes were narrowed slightly and observed everything. Cities freak Theo out, Danny thought.

"You okay?" Danny asked quietly. "You almost look scared, dude."

"Yeah," Theo said while standing up. "My senses just get jumbled up in cities. I'll get over it sooner or later. And…stop calling me dude. It doesn't fit into this time period." He was getting moody again. Danny sighed in frustration but went along with him anyways. At least he could trust Theo to be the one to make the right move. Well…at least he hoped.

"So…what do we do first?" Danny asked.

Theo sighed. "Dionysus could be anywhere in Athens," he said. "We could waste a whole day looking for him. He likes to move around. One hour he'll be at a bar and the next he'll hang out at a theater. Let's just say he likes to have as much fun as possible."

"Won't he be pointed out because he's a god?" Danny asked. Before Theo could respond, Danny voiced the answer in another question. "Or are gods like me and can have a human form?"

"You're not as dumb as you look," Theo said with a grin. "But yes. Convenient isn't it? And you shouldn't turn ghost in cities like this. Humans will either run screaming or urge you to be its hero. You don't want any of that, I'm sure."

"What about you? It's kind of obvious that you're a demigod," Danny stated while pointing to Theo's tail.

"I'll be fine," Theo said. "I haven't been here in five years, but people will recognize me enough to know I won't help them. Plus, when humans see me they think cute and fuzzy, not a hero for their doomed city."

Theo pulled Danny to his feet and then pushed him off the cart. Danny gave a sharp yelp as he almost did a face plant in the muddy ground. He pin wheeled his arms to keep from falling. Theo landed gracefully next to him and quickly grabbed his arm to prevent Danny from losing balance.

"Let's head for the theater to see when the next showing is," Theo said to Danny. "Dionysus should be there anytime today." He started to jog down the street with Danny by his side. It felt good for both of them to finally get their legs moving after three days of doing nothing.

"How do you know so much about the gods?" Danny asked, bewildered by Theo's knowledge.

"When you get banished, it's like you committed a crime and you're on probation," Theo explained after a long pause to get his words right and put it into Danny's terms. "So for 15 years I was under close watch by the gods and goddesses. It was their job to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. I got a lot of visits by them. If I did anything not to their liking, I would have either gotten killed or banished from Greece. Only for the past 5 years have I been free from them."

"Wait," Danny said, confused, "How old are you? I thought you were my age."

"People live a lot longer in this time period because the air is 10 times fresher than yours and not very toxic," Theo said. "Remember, Adam lived for almost a thousand years and so did Noah from the Bible. The numbers are getting lower every century, but they are still pretty high. Demigods (if their lucky) can live past any human because they're half ghost. And to answer your question, I'm 74 years old. But for your time period, I'm 17."

"You learn something new everyday," Danny said with a chuckle.

Theo grinned while hearing this. He was about to say some comment but skidded to a stop when seeing that Danny wasn't beside him anymore. His smile faded and was replaced by a deep frown as he scanned the crowded street for him. He was just beside him! The demigod couldn't get his mind around the fact that Danny had vanished in the matter of seconds.

Panic threatened to overtake his mind. Theo blocked the feeling, using every sense he had to pick up any trace of his friend. He snapped his head around as he saw Danny standing on the other side of the road, staring blankly at him. It looked like he was in some kind of trance.

"I don't like this," Theo muttered to himself.

Danny took off down the street, uncharacteristically managing to stay out of people's way and cleanly cutting through the crowd of humans. Theo swore under his breath and sprinted to follow. He had to roll, jump, and fling himself around the throngs of people standing in his way. His eyes were only on Danny, who was hard to track with so much people around.

Danny was defiantly under one of Dionysus's spells. Demigods could easily be drawn into one, except for demigods who weren't from Greece. Theo, who was Egyptian, had built up some kind of resistance to the mind power Dionysus would sometimes put on humans and demigods for his own entertainment. While under the spell, the victim would only see what Dionysus wanted them to see. Theo had no clue what Danny saw now, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to end well.

Athens was booming with humans. The streets were stuffed with slaves and servants running errands. Street venders had set up every kind of store. They sold anything from food like fish and bread to mindless trinkets like carved wooden blocks of god and goddess symbols and colorful robes of any shade. Even a few wealthy business people were scattered around the road, lifting their noses to each peasant that walked by.

It didn't take long for Theo to completely lose sight of Danny. The ghost kid could run fast if he wanted to. Theo was quick and smooth, but not even he could navigate the busy streets. He was already making a terrible scene by slamming head first into a small amount of humans. A few colorful words were yelled at him as he kept running.

"You're not getting away that easily, kid," Theo said under his breath as he saw Danny disappear into the crowd. He skillfully jumped into the air and grabbed onto a wooden rafter sticking out of a building that held a tarp up for a small street store. Theo pulled himself up, ignoring the stares of the multitude, and then jumped to the rooftop.

Now that he was higher up, Theo could clearly see Danny running down the street. It seemed like he was heading for the large theater on the other side of the Athens, but Theo couldn't be sure. There was only one thing to do…follow Danny.

Theo flung himself through the air, putting his feline genes finally into action. He landed on another rooftop, rolled smoothly to his feet, and then sprinted across it to jump to the next one. The crowd below stared and pointed up at the demigod as he leapt across rooftops like they were mere stepping stones.

His brown eyes were pinned on Danny's bobbing head as he ran through the crowd below. Theo let his senses do the rest. His ears were working like crazy to catch the sound of more voices that indicated to him when he was at the edge of the building and needed to jump to the next. His tail and quick reflexes kept him perfectly balanced the whole time.

For a brief moment Theo smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had this much high action and adventure. He didn't notice till now how much he missed the adrenaline rushing throughout his system, the motion of his body, and the fast working of his brain. Somewhere in the demigod he liked this work-for-it life style.

It was apparent after a few minutes of running that Danny was heading straight toward the theater. Theo kept his eyes on Danny anyways. Dionysus wanted Danny for some unknown reason. It was up to Theo to find the reason out, deliver the god his symbol, shake Danny out of his trance, and then get both their butts out of there. Better said then done.

Danny ran through one of the openings of the theater that had been carved into the side of a hill. That was how every theater those days were made. Every seat was made out of rock from the side of a hill, all facing a center point that would be the stage. It wasn't built for comfort but only for entertainment.

Theo jumped off a rooftop and landed right behind the ghost boy. He ran straight into the theater entrance, expecting to see rows of seated humans upset that he was ruining the performance. But the moment he stepped into the place, he was seized by a power far too great.

"Holy!" Theo shouted as he stared out at a clear, blue sea. He stopped in his tracks and looked around, his senses freaking out. Salt smelling sea breeze rushed past his body that was now clothed in pirate garb, sword and all. A large mast snapped and flapped in the breeze above him. The wooden deck below him swayed as it swelled and dived over massive waves.

He was on a pirate ship.

"This isn't worth it," Theo muttered to himself as he spun around to run back to where he had come from. He hated to leave Danny there, but his head wasn't in the right place to keep going. He needed a few minutes to clear it. He skidded to a stop with a gasp just in time to keep himself from smacking into Dionysus.

The god was in his human form, which was a lot nicer than his god form. Actually, the god looked surprisingly handsome as a human. He had jet-black hair that fell into blood shot green eyes that could look into anyone's soul, figuring out any anonymity inside of them. He was tall with smooth features. He wouldn't be complete if he didn't have that knowing yet all mysterious smile perpetually planted to his lips.

"Theo," Dionysus said with a grin. "I've been expecting you."

"Really?" Theo asked, trying to come off as nonchalant. He backed away from the god, forcing the panic away with a quick sigh.

Dionysus grinned slightly as he clasped his hands behind his back and took a firm step toward the demigod. He noticed how Theo tentatively took one back. He bent down so his face was only inches away from Theo's. The demigod could now plainly smell the alcohol on the god's breath and had to resist the urge to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"I've planned a whole theater performance for you and your friend while you were on your way here," Dionysus said with a giggle of his own pleasure. "You've have had to have seen it before, but I wanted you to experience it first hand with your friend. Look, he's already into his character as captain."

Theo kept eye contact with the god for a second before he dared to glance over to where Dionysus was pointing. He winced when seeing Danny standing steadily at the helm of the pirate ship. He was adorned in the usual dirty pirate clothes and a captain's hat. He stared off into the horizon as he charted a course and shouted orders to the crew.

Painfully, Theo tore his gaze away from Danny to look back to Dionysus. Instinctively, his hand went to the sword at his side. Dionysus saw this, waved his hand with an evil smile, and made the sword vanish into thin air. Theo backed away from the god, fear gripping his heart with its icy hold.

"The characters are set," Dionysus declared. "The actors are in place. The audience is all here and seated. You know the plot line, Theo. The only thing that is needed is for the performance to start. It all begins…now."

A/N: I'll leave you guys off here. I'm so evil. I'd laugh evilly if you guys could hear me. More is to come soon!


	8. Chapter 8 Breathtaking Performance

A/N: Gah! I really don't like writer's block, especially the kind when you know what you want to write but nothing turns out right when you do so. So I'm sorry if the quality of this chapter is off. I had to push through the block. Oh well. I'm giving you readers a gift because of my lateness. Go to my bio, scroll down to Fan Fiction Art, then click on the link to see a sketch I drew of Theo. More pictures are to come…like Danny as a pirate! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Own, I do not. I'm going Yoda on you guys.

Chapter 8 Breathtaking Performance

"It all begins…now," Dionysus said with the snap of his fingers.

"Helmsman!" Danny called loudly down to Theo. The demigod swung his head around to look up at Danny and realized Danny was addressing him as the navigator. He looked back at Dionysus with a questioning glare.

"You didn't think I was planning on killing you, Theo," Dionysus said chillingly. "It would be more entertaining to see you watch everyone here die while you live. It's so hard to get you upset, but I think I've finally found your sore spot. This whole performance is for you."

"Cute," Theo growled back.

"Helmsman Theo," Danny called again. Theo wasted no time. He bounded up the few steps to Danny's side, frantically trying to keep himself together.

"I got to tell you something, Danny," Theo urgently whispered to his companion.

"It's _Captain_ Danny Phantom, to you helmsman," Danny corrected Theo with a wide grin. "Your knowledge will have to wait, though. We have a ship to sail! The captured prince will make us as rich as kings! Plot our course!"

"Danny," Theo tried once more.

"Captain," Danny corrected again, his smile waning.

Theo rolled his eyes in frustration before growling back, "Captain Danny, this news can't wait. That 'prince' over there," he pointed to Dionysus who was bound to the main mast and watching them carefully, "Is not a prince at all. We are dealing with a god."

"Nonsense!" Danny said with a laugh, playing his part as pirate captain quite well. "How could he be a god? If he was one, then we could all be dead right now. Now…plot our course!" And with that said, Danny forcefully shoved Theo into the helm and walked away to give orders to the rest of the crew.

Theo was left at the helm, feeling completely hopeless and lost. He spotted Dionysus below with a wicked smile on his lips. Theo frowned at him then looked back out at sea, furiously working his brain to come up with a way out of the mess. If he remembered the story right, the whole pirate crew, except for the helmsman, would either get killed or turned into dolphins. And it was the captain that would get slaughtered by Dionysus.

Suddenly a shriek of alarm cried up from one of the shipmates. Theo knew what was going on right away. He had seen the story played out in many theaters that Dionysus had dragged him to while he had been under probation. And just like he predicted, the ship was filling up with blood red wine. The crew members were either freaking out or gulping in mouthfuls of the intoxicating liquid.

Theo spotted Danny bending down to drink, and that was where he drew the line. Theo jumped up and grabbed two ropes flapping in the breeze above him. He quickly tied them around different sides of the helm to keep the ship on a steady course. Acting fast, Theo jumped down from the helm without taking the stairs, landing with a giant splash right next to Danny.

"I don't think so, kid," Theo said to Danny as he grabbed a fist full of his hair. Theo then dragged the ghost boy through the wine flooded vessel back up to the helm where it was dry.

"Let go, Theo! This hurts!" Danny complained noisily. He tried to pull away, but Theo was more furious than frightened now and wasn't going to let go. He only gripped his hold on Danny's raven colored hair tighter. When they got to the helm, Theo roughly pushed Danny to the wooden deck floor with a scowl on his face.

"Snap out of it, Danny!" Theo hissed at him. "We don't have time for you to drink till you're a thoroughly intoxicated pig. I know you're smart enough of know you are under Dionysus's power."

Danny looked up at Theo from where he was sitting on his butt with a funny expression on his face. "Dude, you need to relax," he finally said with a loopy grin. "I know this is an illusion, but at least I'm having fun. You, on the other hand, are ruining everything. Calm down and just go with it. Dionysus is the god of entertainment and having a good time. Maybe he's doing this to force you to enjoy yourself for once."

Theo's eyes widened as he heard this. Dionysus's illusion was clouding his brain. Maybe he did need to relax and take a mini hiatus from the stressfulness of life. Maybe what Danny was saying was all he needed to do to get out of there. It was so simple. It also sounded really pleasing.

"No, stop!" Theo whispered to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut as his logic wrested with his wants. "I don't want a stupid vacation right now," he said. "I want out of this dangerous performance. I don't want a vacation."

To his surprise, when Theo opened his eyes he didn't see the sea or the wine filled boat. For a fleeting second he saw the hypnotized and smiling audience who was watching the performance. The hill side theater was packed with people all staring blankly at the actors on the stage and smiling hauntingly as if they were forced to have a good time. That's how strong Dionysus power could be used.

Just as quickly as he saw the real world, it was gone. But that was all Theo needed. He knew that what Danny was saying was just what Dionysus wanted him to say. No amount of trickery or mind games was going to work, though.

Theo saw that Danny was once again on his feet and heading for the stairs. The demigod walked right up to the ghost teen and tapped him on the shoulder, smiling slyly. "Captain Danny Phantom?" he asked in a fake innocent voice.

"Yeah," Danny said as he turned around to face Theo.

Theo answered by throwing a fist back and slugging Danny right in the face, making the ghost boy black out for a second and fall like a sack of potatoes to the deck. Danny floated back to sanity to have Theo pinning him to the floor, his face inches away from Danny's. The grin betrayed the scared look plainly shown in Theo's eyes.

"I wanted to do that for days now," Theo said with a chuckle. The grin quickly faded as he whispered harshly into Danny's face. "Listen up now, kid, or you'll be killed. As you can see, I'm not in a very good mood. You better snap out of whatever hold Dionysus has on you, unless that punch actually whacked you back into reality."

"What the heck is going on?" Danny yelled up at Theo. "What are you talking about? Stop speaking in riddles, Theo, 'cause you're freaking me out!"

"Seems like knocking you out did the trick," Theo observed. He didn't let Danny go, though. The ghost boy struggled to get out of Theo's hold, but surprisingly the demigod was strong and had no trouble keeping Danny at bay. "Ready to listen?" Theo asked.

Danny looked around, confusion written all over his face. His memory was hazy, but he was able to remember some things when he was under Dionysus's mind power. There was also something in Danny's head that was making him think sluggishly. Danny shook his head to unclog it and focus.

"Give me the condense version," Danny said.

"We are somewhat under Dionysus's power and are in an illusion," Theo said rapidly. "Don't ask me why or how. But the point is that I know the play he is making us perform. He is thought as a prince and captured by pirates. You are the captain, and I'm the helmsman. The problem is that you die and I don't. Because I like you so much, I decided to knock you out to try and help you live."

"Sounds like fun," Danny said to adapt to Theo's sarcasm. "You have a plan, right?"

"No," Theo said bluntly.

"Nice," Danny muttered.

"Thanks," Theo growled back, his ears flattening. His annoyance deepened as the situation worsened. The ears were right back up again as they picked up another sound above the rushing waves and the drunken pirates singing off tune. He looked back down to Danny just before ordering, "Hang on to something."

Danny and Theo sprung to their feet a second later. Danny lunged for the helm to grab onto; not hesitating to see what would happen if he didn't abide by Theo's words. Theo rushed to a railing and latched onto it just as the ship lurched to a sudden stop.

With a yelp of alarm, Theo was thrown over the railing. Danny got the wind knocked out of him as the inertia forced the top of his torso over the helm, driving one of the wheel's handle's into his stomach. The rest of the crew was either sent overboard with screams, or into a mast or railing. Dionysus watched the whole thing with a grin, laughing with happiness when seeing one pirate slam headfirst into a railing and blacking out.

Gasping to regain his breath, Danny staggered away from the helm holding his stomach, clearly in pain. Theo dangled over the rolling waves of the sea, struggling to get a better grip on the railing to pull himself back up. The wood was wet and slick, though. His feet constantly kept slipping. He was going to fall if he couldn't pull himself up soon. And if he fell…in the illusion he was in he would surely die.

"Need some help?" Danny asked as he appeared at the railing above Theo. He coughed and winced, trying to get over the effects of getting the wind knocked out of him. Theo wasn't prideful enough to refuse help and quickly took hold of Danny's outstretched hand. Soon the demigod was safely on deck.

"This is the second act of three," Theo said. "After the wine come the grape vines. That's what made us stop. We need to get out of here before act three."

"Why?" Danny asked, worry in his voice.

"That's when Dionysus turns into a lion and kills you and the rest of the crew," Theo said solemnly. He ran a hand through his hair, the fear clear as day now to Danny. "I can't think," Theo finally stated. "I don't know what to do."

The wine started to drain out of the suspended ship as vines burst out of the wooden deck at random places. The liquid stained the deck blood red, a grim foreshadow of what was to come. The two companions watched with apprehension as the vines overtook the ship, growing at a rapid rate to cover the wood with its presence.

"Hey! Didn't you knock me out?" Danny asked Theo, excitement in his voice now.

"Yes," Theo answered, not knowing where Danny was taking this.

"If knocking me out got me out of that trance, then wouldn't knocking out Dionysus shut down the whole illusion?" Danny asked.

Theo stared at Danny then at Dionysus, a surprised look on his face. He then looked back at Danny and said with a slow nod, "Yeah. I think that would work." The two then broke out into smiles.

A ferocious roar from below pierced the tense air just as hope had been restored. The boys turned toward the stairs just in time to see a giant lion fling itself up them, its glowing yellow eyes pinned solely on Danny. The beast was at least two times bigger than a normal lion, with a full flowing mane. The claws of the creature were out, and its teeth were bared.

In a flash of light, Danny was in ghost form. But his mind was still cloudy as Dionysus's power tried to take a hold of him again. He just couldn't get past his fear of the lion before him. Theo and he slowly backed up as the beast gave a deep, haunting growl and leisurely pursued.

"All you have to do is punch him," Theo whispered to Danny. He glanced over to see Danny's wide eyes were looking ahead. He was paying no attention to him, lost in his own terror.

Acting quickly, Theo ran forward and toward the giant lion. The beast snarled and took a swing at him with one of its huge paws. Theo deftly ducked to avoid the claws. They came so close that Theo could hear the paw wisp through the air above him. The demigod rolled past the lion, ending up behind the thing.

The lion had no business with Theo and completely ignored him once he was at the back of him and out of the picture. The big cat locked its gaze back on Danny and started to move forward again. It knew it had its prize cornered. And like all cats, it was ready to play with its meal before devouring it.

Theo had other plans.

Without stopping to think better of it, Theo grabbed the lion's swishing tail and pulled…hard. The yank produced a painful roar from the lion before it spun around with an outstretched paw. The demigod retracted, but one lone claw managed to slash Theo across the cheek. Blood slowly escaped the open wound, but Theo didn't even wince.

There was a moment where the lion and Theo glared at each other, the hate between them thick and boiling in the air. Then the lion smiled, the perfect picture of Dionysus; mysterious, destructive, and confident that his amusement was the best thing on the planet. Theo responded with his own sly, secretive grin. It was time for the king of the jungle to get a few notches on his pride bar to get knocked off.

At that moment Danny flew in from the side, his fist colliding violently into Dionysus's lion form's jaw. The force sent Dionysus into the air. Danny didn't let the lion even land before he struck again. He kneed the god in the stomach while at the same time punching him again in the face. In mid air the god blacked out and morphed back into his human form. Danny hovered above the god as he landed roughly on the deck of the ship as if he was a limp doll.

As if the curtain was pulled up, the illusion of the ship and sea faded away to reveal…chaos. Humans were screaming in fear, running like mad men, or sitting in their seats looking deeply confused and scared. Apparently the crowd who had been hypnotized a second before had been released from Dionysus's power too.

"We got to get out of here," Theo told Danny with urgency as he ran up to him. He noticed Danny was still in ghost form and hissed, "Change back into human form before people start to freak out even more!"

A second later, a blue eyed black haired normal teen stood where a ghost used to be. "Sorry for coming in late," he quickly apologized with a weak smile.

"We're in the middle of a crisis and you're apologizing?" Theo asked, bewildered by Danny's niceness. "I will _never_ understand you."

"Dionysus is out, I thought we were okay," Danny defended himself feebly. The boys glanced down to where the god was passed out at their feet. A loud snore suddenly rumbled out of the god as he rolled over to his back. Theo chuckled at the strangeness of a snoring god while Danny lightly kicked the god with the toe of his sandal. The god only snored louder.

"He'll be out for fifteen minutes max," Theo said. "We need to get out of town by the time he wakes up again. I don't want to be near him when that happenes. Like I've said before, you don't want to see an angry god."

Danny opened his sack and dropped the grapes in it on the god's stomach. "Wait, another god is close," Danny said as Theo started to walk away. Theo turned around, his shoulders slumping as if he was deflating. "I guess this means we'll have to deal with another god today," Danny said with a sigh.

"You catch on quickly," Theo said tiredly.

A/N: I might be really busy these next few days. I'm trying to get my drivers license before August, and the only way to do that is to drive all the time and learn how to parallel park. I've got a few hours under my belt, but I need more. So…I'm really sorry if the next chapter is not out in a few days. It might be out in a week, but I'm not sure. Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!


	9. Chapter 9 Playing Games

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. My mom went away to house sit for my aunt for a whole week. Being the responsible and dorky teen I am, I played mom the whole time. I didn't know that cleaning and taking care to two little sisters for a few days could keep you so busy. But at least I did something I had never done in my entire life…I did laundry! Ha, ha! So maybe my driving sessions will be another time. Anywho, enjoy the chapter. I made it longer just because of the wait you had to suffer through.

Disclaimer: Refer to any chapter before this to see who owns what.

Chapter 9 Playing Games

Ears flat, Theo stepped aside as another screaming lunatic ran past him and Danny, almost taking the ghost kid out in the process. The theater was hysterical. It was very obvious to the Humans that they had been punished by Dionysus with the vision and disliked by the god for no apparent reason at all. So they had to work themselves up into a frenzy. The Greeks could be very smart at times back in the ancient days, but they were too superstitious for their own good.

"This is taking forever," Danny exploded, having to duck to dodge another screaming human and making the guy trip right over him. They were trying to make their ways out of the hill side theater, but it was hard to keep going forward with so many people running around like wild men. There were a few women in the crowd and children, but mostly were men.

"Move!" Theo yelled at someone, pushing the unfortunate man aside with a small shove. "Humans are as bad here as they are in Egypt. Get over yourselves."

"Just let me turn ghost," Danny pleaded with Theo. "I can fly us out of here in less than five seconds."

Theo spun around to look Danny in the eye. "No way, kid," he said, annoyed that he had to repeat himself. "You want these guys to freak out even more? I don't think so! The second you turn into your snowflake haired alter ego, these humans are either going to faint or get worse. Panic times two equals trouble for us."

"But what about Dionysus?" Danny argued. "The god is going to wake up soon. I'm sorry, but I don't want to be devoured by a lion. How 'bout you?"

"Right now, I just want to get out of here peacefully," Theo said. He spun back around, grabbed a man's shoulder that was in front of him, and threw him aside in one fluid motion.

"Yeah, real hippy pacifist right there," Danny muttered as he saw the guy fall down a few steps and then sit there in a daze, never knowing what hit him.

"Shut it," Theo said over his shoulder with a wane smile.

The two climbed the hill for another ten minutes, dodging and pushing the whole time. They weren't in very good moods by the time they were at the top; looking down at all the stone carved seats and the center stage holding the passed out Dionysus. Putting their hands on their knees, the boys gasped to regain their breath from the strenuous hike up the hundreds of stairs.

"Uh…we have a problem," Danny said as he looked down to the stage once more. He wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, squinting to make sure what he was seeing was real.

"Now what?" Theo snapped. The sting of the scar on his cheek was beginning to become unbearable. The pain was making him more agitated than normal…if that was possible.

"Is this a bad time to say I told you so?" Danny asked, pointing to the stage below them. Theo directed his hard gaze toward there. The spite was taken out of him when he saw that Dionysus was waking up. The god suddenly sat up and looked right up at the two, making eye contact with Theo. The interaction was as cold as a gusty winter in Antarctica.

Danny watched as Theo's fire was restored by his fear and hate for the god. Theo tore his gaze away from Dionysus to look at Danny. He smiled before asking, "Ready for a run?"

"Where to?" Danny said, managing a weak smile, glad that Theo was back into a good, motivated humor. He hated to admit that his human form wasn't near in condition as his ghost form. He was getting there, but Danny still had trouble doing any activity for too long. He just decided that he would have to deal with a run anyways. It wasn't like he had options to choose from.

"There," Theo answered the question while pointing to a large hill that stood in the center of the city. "The Acropolis of Athens," Theo explained before Danny could inquire. "There we will find the Temple of Athena, our next goddess on the to-do list."

"Wait, doesn't that still stand today…I mean in my time?" Danny asked, still mixed up with his own time and the one he had been forced into. "Sweet! Could I get a tour and a postcard while I'm there?"

"Sure, we'll even give some offerings to the gods while we are at it," Theo said with a grin. He spotted Dionysus jump off the stage way below, giving him the hint to get moving. "Time to go," he said in a rush while taking off in a sprint into the busy street. Danny was right behind him.

The streets were even harder to negotiate than the theater. Even though the people weren't running around aimlessly, there was still too many of them for both teens to avoid. The two were constantly running, skidding to a stop to prevent a collision, and then taking off in another direction. They couldn't help but bump into a few humans while they were on their mad dash. The screams and yells of anger were like red flags to Dionysus, indicating exactly where they were in the crowd.

Daring to look back, Danny saw Dionysus shoving people aside to get to them faster. "He's right behind us!" he called over to Theo. "Why doesn't he put us under one of his spells?"

"His power has a limit," Theo gasped to explain. "He wasted it all on his last illusion. He'll be fine in a few hours, though. Just move faster!"

Adrenaline high, Danny pushed his body harder to keep up with Theo. The demigod was in a condition that could run a marathon, but not so much for Danny. As if to make things worse, the two broke out of the crowd at the foot of the hill where hundreds of stairs led upward toward their destination.

"You got to be kidding me!" Danny gasped as he came to a stop at the first step. He looked up the marble stairs as if it went into infinity. "Why can't I just fly?" he asked Theo helplessly.

"Not now, ghost boy!" Theo yelled at him as he grabbed Danny's arm and started to drag his friend up the stairs. "We don't have time to complain. Move, move, move!" Danny felt like he was literally being pushed up the steps and Theo was the sergeant making him do it. Ignoring the pain, Danny glared at Theo in annoyance.

The boys were halfway up that flight of stairs when Dionysus started at the bottom. Frantic now, Theo and Danny tried to speed up the pace to evade the god, taking two steps at a time. They constantly stole glances behind their shoulders, making sure the god was at least twenty steps below them. They were going to make it a close one.

A few hundred steps later, they arrived at the very top of the hill. Practically wheezing for air now, the boys made a bee line for the Temple of Athena. Danny couldn't make it across the court yard, though. Half way there he had to stop to catch some of his breath.

"No, no, no!" Theo yelled in between gasps as he ran back to where Danny had stopped. The humans there were all giving the two strange looks…until they noticed Theo being a demigod. For some reason that concept set all their minds at ease.

"Just a second," Danny choked out.

"I don't think so! We came too far to have you stop now!" Theo said harshly. He roughly pushed Danny on the back, forcing him to keep going. "If you pass out again, I'm gonna murder you in your sleep!" Theo grumbled.

"Very reassuring," Danny muttered back, starting to jog again.

Danny didn't take the time to sight see. At any other time he would have paused to take in the giant marble temples and statues that decorated the hill. It was like his history text book had come to life before his eyes. For as far as his eye could see there was the city of Athens below, bustling with life. All around him was a breathtaking view that he couldn't stop to enjoy.

Soon both were at the Temple of Athena. It was the biggest building that stood on the Acropolis. The Temple of Athena was before the now legendary Parthenon. It would only be a few years later that the Persians would invade and destroy the Temple of Athena, making the Greeks built the Parthenon in its absence. But of course Danny could never remember that small fact.

The boys rushed up the small stair case to the temple, both silently despising stairs for the rest of their lives. Large pillars towered above them as they walked into the open temple. Danny was surprised that he didn't see many people there praying or giving offerings. A small bowl filled with oil sat on a stand in the middle of the temple which produced a small flame, as it was close to sun set. But besides the fire, nothing else was there. Danny decided to keep the questions to himself and focus on his breathing instead.

Theo stopped at the fire bowl, greedily taking in gulps of air as well as Danny. Sweat was now dripping off their foreheads. Danny looked around, confused about what to do next and not wanting to trust Theo with the task. Theo, on the other hand, was purely waiting for Dionysus to catch up.

"Where is he?" Theo questioned out loud.

"What are we doing?" Danny asked.

"Just trust me," Theo said with the wave of his hand. "I know what I'm doing."

"It sure doesn't look it," Danny pointed out the second he saw Dionysus jog over to the temple.

"The second he steps into the temple, Athena will have to show up," Theo said quickly to Danny. "Gods are pretty touchy when it comes down to other gods walking into their temples. She'll come."

Dionysus saw that the two had stopped inside the temple and smiled wickedly at them. Danny tensed as he took a tentative step back, getting ready to run if Theo's plan didn't work. He glanced over to see that Theo looked as anxious as before. It was hard to believe in someone who didn't even believe in himself.

"You think Athena will come to your help, Theo?" Dionysus taunted as he slowly walked up the steps of the temple, taking his time to prolong the suspense. He narrowed his eyes with a grin, prodding into Theo's mind to somehow twist it any way he could.

For a brief moment Theo just stared stupidly into Dionysus's eyes, mesmerized. He then squeezed his eyes shut with a grunt, fighting whatever illusion Dionysus had given him. "I know Athena will come," he yelled back at the god. Danny hoped the statement wasn't one of faith.

"Then lets give it a try," Dionysus said. He then stepped fully into the temple.

In only the matter of seconds the world outside darkened till it was completely black. The city and its bright lights vanished as the sun was cut entirely out of the picture. Danny watched in wonder as this happened. He noticed that the background noise of people and the wind was gone too. It was like time had completely stopped for the world outside of the temple. It was a freaky yet incredible experience at the same time.

A tall form suddenly appeared in between Dionysus and the teens. Danny watched, stunned, as Athena came into full view. Even though women were considered unstable and animals in the ancient Greek days, her presence demanded respect. Her narrowed gaze that hit Theo and Danny literally seized the breath of the ghost boy. There was something very powerful in Athena that Danny could somehow feel in the air around him. She was one god he didn't ever want to mess with.

Athena had her long dirty blonde hair in a in a pony tail with a metal helmet on her head. She wore a white robe that was twisted around her body and pinned how most woman did it those days. Golden sandals adorned her feet. Her brown eyes were hard as they seemed to pierce through every person there. Like her eyes, her chin and other features were sharp. She reminded Danny of a hawk.

"I demand to know what is going on in my sacred temple," Athena commanded. As she said this, the only light there, the fire, sparked and snapped to the tone of her voice. It cast a dim light upon the ground and the faces of the ones there. Shadows danced at the corners of the temple as the fire's light constantly moved.

"This is none of your business, Athena," Dionysus spoke up first, apparently not afraid of his dominating relative. He stepped deeper into the temple as he explained. "Theo and his friend had my symbol and I was only trying to gain it back. They just used your temple to make you intervene."

"Yeah, right!" Danny shouted back. He pointed at Dionysus as he said to Athena, "He put us under a spell and was going to kill me! And then we came up here to give your symbol back to you. I'll give it to you now." He shoved a hand into his sack and produced an olive tree branch.

Athena only stared at the object for a moment, thinking it all over in her head. She directed her eyes toward Theo then. Danny just then noticed that the demigod hadn't said anything yet. The goddess and Theo made short eye contact, but no words were shared between the two.

"Who am I to say who is correct and who is lying?" Athena finally said after a long moment of silence. She walked over to where Danny was standing and took the olive branch out of his hand. She then returned to her spot between them, hands clasped behind her back and standing tall.

"That is why I am letting all three of you play a game of mine to determine who is truthful and who isn't," Athena went on. "Whoever wins my game by my rules will either be the god or demigods who are telling me the truth. Let the game begin."

Danny glanced over to Theo to see him stiffen some more. That was never a good sign. What bothered Danny was the fact that it was Theo's fault for them being in this situation in the first place. If he had let Danny turn ghost and fly to the temple, they could have avoided Dionysus and this game.

Athena raised her arms above her head and closed her eyes, releasing a greater power bestowed upon her. Suddenly the stone floor under them extended at least a quarter of a mile in every direction with all four of them being in the middle. The demigods watched in awe as the floor under them turned into a giant red square. Other squares started to show on the ground. They were only the colors black and red.

"Did they play checkers back in the ancient Greek days?" Danny asked Theo, the colors instantly reminding him of the game he used to play back home.

"They still play checkers in your century?" Theo asked, surprised by this news.

Danny's memory served true as huge, five foot radius round pieces appeared on different colored squares. It was like they were on a giant checker board, having to play pieces that were their own size. Danny suddenly remembered when he had been shrunk down in size with Dash by one of his dad's crazy inventions. He looked over to Theo and decided that the situation didn't change much from the last time he was this size.

"The demigods are granted the right to play the first move of the game," Athena's voiced boomed over them. The boys looked up to see that Athena wasn't standing by them anymore. Instead, she towered over them and Dionysus. She was actually normal size compared to the small people on the board.

"Why them?" Dionysus demanded. He stomped his foot to the ground, looking more like a kid on a tantrum than a worshiped and powerful god.

Athena frowned down at the other immortal with a hint of annoyance. Danny grinned despite himself. He turned to Theo and frowned when not seeing him there. Spinning around, Danny looked for his lost companion. Theo had only walked off to one of the giant checker pieces to make the first move. Danny ran to catch up.

"I think we should move that one over there," Danny said, pointing to another piece.

Theo stopped at the piece he wanted to move, frowning. He crossed his arms and asked, "Why? Have you ever played checkers in your life time? Have you ever won?"

"I've played many times," Danny said, defending himself. "I haven't won too many times, but I know what I'm doing."

"That would be a first," Theo said while lifting an eyebrow. Rolling his eyes at Danny's spiteful glare, Theo put both palms against the giant piece and tried to push it to the spot he wanted it to go. "Just trust me, Danny," he said to the ghost boy. "I've played this game probably more than you have. I know what I'm doing too. Now…help me move this."

Danny let Theo struggle a few more seconds, letting the demigod's callous words bounce around in his head. It took a stern glare from Theo to make Danny turn into ghost form and help him. With two people there to push, the piece moved smoothly into place.

Dionysus was there right away. He briskly walked to a piece he wanted to move and pushed it into place. He then looked up and down the giant board and nodded, satisfied with his form of action. He caught Theo's eyes and evilly grinned, giving the demigod a confident wink.

Danny caught the interaction and saw what it did to Theo. Apparently Dionysus and Theo had a score to settle from a few years back. Theo was in a rage now. His ears were flat and his tail whisked around his body. Danny wouldn't have been surprised if the guy hissed at him.

"How about we move that one next," Danny said after observing the playing field. His mind was reverting back to when he used to play the game with Sam and Tucker when he was a kid. Summer afternoons could get boring as a child, so sometimes a game or two would be played. Of course Sam beat him on most occasions, but he was confident that he was a pretty good player. And at least his brain wasn't being clouded by anger, which he was sure Theo had.

"I have a plan," Theo snapped back. "Can't you just sit back and let me do this? Have I ever let you down? No. So chill down for a moment and help me move the next piece." He started to walk over to the piece he wanted to move but stopped when he saw that Danny wasn't coming. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"No more," Danny said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I am done with your attitude problem. Are you hearing yourself, dude? You're sounding real ugly right now."

"Ugly? Attitude? Oh no, no, no," Theo said with a sharp laugh. He shook his head in disbelief. "Danny, this is just a simple game. Dionysus isn't the smartest thing. I can beat him easily. I just need you to help me move a…a freaking checkered piece!"

"Yeah, 'cause that's all I am to you right now, dead weight," Danny shouted back. "I've been nothing but something to drag along this whole time."

"Because you _are_ dead weight!" Theo yelled. Something in him had finally snapped. All his pent up emotions and feelings didn't feel so needed to be protected anymore. "Don't you get it, Danny, you aren't needed here! You're always confused and asking annoying questions. Sometimes you can be so stupid I wonder why I'm dragging you around. This mission would go by so much faster without you!"

Danny wasn't going to back down now. "I ask questions because I want to know what is going on," he said. "If I didn't ask anything I'd be too confused to walk. You would do the same if you were in my time period. But no, because you were here all your life you _must_ know everything about the gods and goddesses. You act like I should bow down and worship your knowledge of them."

"What? All I said was that I was better at finding the gods than your sack…because I can," Theo stated. "You're blowing this way out of proportion! All I want to do is win this game and go on. We are wasting time!"

"No!" Danny shouted. "I'm sick of your moodiness! You're selfish, prideful, and temperamental. To quote you, 'get over yourself'! Just because you suck at being a demigod doesn't mean you have to take it out on me."

Danny's words were like a blow to Theo's gut. The ghost boy smirked when seeing the surprise and fury on Theo's face after he said this. It was about time the guy got what he deserved. He had insulted and pushed Danny around too many times. Danny liked seeing the tables turn.

Then Theo did something Danny didn't see coming.

A/N: I'll just leave you readers off with that cliffhanger. I'm smiling evilly right now. But I need to ask one thing. Someone asked for more suffering for Danny and Theo. I can write with more intensity, but I just want to know if you readers don't mind something very close to something you watch on a PG-13 movie. I'm asking because I know there are some young watchers of Danny Phantom and I didn't want to over do it because I tend to write with more blood and peril. So…yah or nay? Thanks for reading! More is to come soon.


	10. Chapter 10 Fire Sunrise

A/N: I've decided to keep the fic rating at PG, but I'm gonna make a few future fight scenes more intense than what I had been making them…which makes me happy because I love hard hitting action. Thank you so much for all these awesome reviews! You guys get me so motivated to update that sometimes I want to skip my proof reading and just post it. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Danny is not mine!

Chapter 10 Fire Sunrise

Danny had no time to react as Theo flung himself through the air straight toward the ghost boy. Theo grabbed Danny by the shoulders, forcing both of them to the giant checkered floor. The momentum sent the boys rolling head over heels. The whole time they were yelling incoherently at each other, trying to gain the upper hand in the now physical battle. The verbal one had seemed to have flown out the window.

"You little brat!" Theo hissed into Danny's face. "You ghosts in the future think you're God's gift to the earth! But guess what. You're just a simple demigod, Danny!" He shoved a knee into Danny's gut, knocking the air right out of him.

Danny choked to try and get a hold on his breathing again. Glaring daggers up at Theo, the ghost boy turned intangible and sunk into the floor, out of harms way. Theo growled, cursing under his breath as he watched Danny vanish before his eyes. He spun around just in time to get his face smashed against Danny's fist as the ghost flew past him.

Theo stumbled back with a wince of pain, knowing he'd have a black eye the next day. He spotted Danny flying back toward him with his tight fists blazing with green ectoplasm flames. Theo crouched down and sprung high into the air, letting his feline genes take over his human ones. As Danny flew past him, Theo extended a leg as he fell back down toward earth. His heel connected with Danny's shoulder, forcing the ghost off balance and spinning out of control.

Danny gave an alarmed yell as he collided face first into a giant checker piece. He spun back around, acting quickly, and grabbed onto Theo's foot that was coming at him for a kick. Danny grinned evilly when seeing Theo's look of distress before Danny flung the other demigod as hard as he could across the board.

Airborne now, Theo tried desperately to regain his balance so he could land well. The teen landed on his feet, but the angle he did so made him roll over. Theo went with it, rolling a few more times before jumping up and doing a 180 in mid air. He landed and skidded to a stop, glowering over to where Danny was hovering a few yards away.

"What exactly is going on?" Dionysus asked Athena as he watched the two demigods stare at each other. "Aren't they friends?"

Athena's feelings about the fight between Theo and Danny were not shown on her face. She leaned her massive form down to say to Dionysus, "Apparently they are not as tight as it seemed on the surface. I'm interested on where they will take this. Sooner or later they will get tired of this course of action. When that happens, it will be up to them to make the right decision."

Dionysus shrugged, saying, "I just hope the new guy beats Theo." Athena gave him another annoyed frown, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. How was she ever related to him?

Now that they were serious, Theo and Danny were all over the place. Theo was quick and smooth in his movements, but he wasn't able to give hard punches or kicks. Danny had a difficult time keeping up with the speed Theo produced. On the other hand, his punches, kicks, and ectoplasm blasts usually sent Theo flying. After only a few minutes into the fight, it was clear they were evenly matched.

Theo ducked and rolled sideways to evade a kick from Danny. He sprung out of the roll and hit Danny in the forehead with the palm of his hand. Danny had a second of whip lash. This made him growl before he grabbed Theo's shoulders. He then blasted right for a checker piece, using Theo as his stopping shield.

The force of his body slamming back first into the game piece made Theo gasp in pain. He brought his legs up and perfectly kneed Danny in the chin. The hold Danny had on Theo's shoulders was released. Theo sprung off the checker piece with his back legs, launching himself at Danny. As if tackling the ghost in mid air, Theo drove his shoulder into Danny's chest. They both landed on top of a checker piece.

Danny was up first, surprisingly. Breathing hard from the battle, he latched onto Theo's wrist and flung him into another checker piece. Theo squeezed his eyes shut on impact, blocking out the pain running throughout his bruised and beaten body. The moment he landed, he jumped back up toward Danny, forcing both of them to fall in an arch to the ground.

Rolling again on top of each other, the boys gave growls of distaste. It was when they finally came to a stop with Danny on top of Theo that the two saw what had happened to them. Panting and sweating profusely, the two stared at each other, their eyes only inches away from the others.

"What are we doing?" Danny barked down at Theo.

"I don't know!" Theo shouted back. "You started this fight!"

"No! You did! You were the one who jumped at me!" Danny pointed out, voice still loud.

"I wouldn't have jumped at you if you hadn't provoked me like that!" Theo said.

"I wouldn't have provoked you if you hadn't been so mean to me," Danny said cruelly into Theo's face. "It's like your favorite past time is to insult Danny Phantom these days. I'm sick of it!"

"Well, I'm sorry if you annoy me at times!" Theo shouted back. "You don't know what you're doing, Danny! Why can't you just admit that? Is it because you hate to let someone else have a piece of the limelight? Huh?"

"Fine!" Danny screamed his frustration. "You win! I'm confused and scared half to death! I don't know where I am and don't understand what is going on!" He saw Theo's scowl soften as he heard these words, as if he didn't know Danny could ever say them. "But that doesn't mean you can't trust me for once in your life!" Danny quickly added, his anger still there. "Why can't you trust me?"

"Trust is something that has to be earned!" Theo shouted back. "I've seen so much treachery and backstabbing that it's hard for me to trust anyone now! Trust is something that is quick to lose, but earning it takes time!"

For a moment the two stared at each other, silently reviewing what the other had said. Then, as if realizing it at the same time, they faintly smiled sheepishly at each other. Danny got to his feet and reached down to pull Theo to his feet. The demigod grabbed hold to his hand and was soon on his own feet.

"Jeez, do you pack a punch," Theo said as he rubbed the back of his neck that was throbbing the most, winning the competition of pain running throughout his body.

Danny nodded as he wrapped one hand around his aching stomach, using the other to touch his sore jaw. "Can we never do this again?" he asked with a chuckle. "Because, dude, you can be painful!"

Theo looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Dude?" he asked, smiling wryly.

"Why can't I just call you 'dude'?" Danny asked hopelessly.

"What part of 'blending in' do you not get?" Theo asked.

"Hey!" Dionysus yelled at them from across the giant board. "Either start hitting each other again or get on with this game!" Both boys looked up with shock. They had completely forgotten about the game that had been going on before the fight had broken out. Right away they looked up to Athena, red coming to their shameful faces. Athena only silently loomed over them, but they caught the small smile she was trying hard to hide. That was all they needed.

"You know what?" Theo said as he observed the game board with his hands on his hips, "Its two against one. That should definitely be enough to kick Dionysus's butt."

"Two heads are better than one, as the saying goes," Danny said. Theo gave him a sideways look, having never heard it before. Danny smiled nervously while scratching the back of his neck out of habit. "Let's just get on with the butt kicking!" he said quickly.

After that, the game lasted around 15 minutes. The two boys took turns moving the checker pieces. Sometimes Danny would have to fly up to observe the board from a different view, making sure they weren't doing anything they would regret. Dionysus saw Danny do it once and copied him, trying to make it look like he knew what he was doing.

Whenever any of the boys weren't sure of the move they were making, they would move it anyways then give Dionysus pretend confident smirks. The technique worked. They saw Dionysus sweating with nervousness over each of his moves. The god spent most of his time mumbling to himself and glaring over at the demigods. Theo and Danny would only grin back.

Soon, the game was over. Theo and Danny had swooped straight into making their pieces kings, easily exploiting Dionysus's intimidation to get him to move out of the way. After that it was just waiting for the god to make a dumb move so they could bump him off the board. It was a simple plan, but of course Dionysus wasn't smart enough to realize that.

"The winners are the demigods," Athena announced the moment Danny and Theo pushed their piece past Dionysus's last piece. Danny and Theo jumped back in surprise when the board vanished under them as well as the checker piece they had just been pushing. They looked around to see that they were back in the time stopped temple with the fire bowl.

"Yes!" Danny yelled in triumph of the win. He pumped his arm as he hovered in the air. Theo only watched the ghost cheer with a grin plastered to his face. He looked confused as Danny held up his hand to him.

"What are you doing?" Theo asked, puzzled.

"It's called a high-five," Danny said with a laugh. "Don't tell me you've never seen one before."

Theo silently held his hand up over his head like Danny was doing, shaking his head with confusion. "I will never understand you, Danny," he said as the ghost kid high fived the other demigod.

"You don't have to," Danny said. He paused before adding teasingly, "Dude."

"We are _not_ going over that again," Theo said, his grin betraying his stern tone.

The clearing of Athena's throat brought both boys out of their joking mood. They turned toward the goddess, serious now. They noticed that Dionysus was nowhere to be seen. He left the moment he lost the game. It was now only Athena and the demigods in the temple.

"As a reward for telling the truth, giving me back my symbol, winning the game, and settling your differences," she said calmly, "I will grant you one wish that is reasonable for both of us."

Danny and Theo shared a surprised glance. Danny shrugged, not knowing what to wish for. He wanted to wish for all the symbols to be returned, but he knew Athena would say it would be unreasonable for her. Theo, knowing the limit of the wish, would be better at deciding what to wish for.

Theo didn't waste time thinking too deeply on it. He pulled out his map and pointed to the Middle East on it while saying, "We wish to go here, Arabia, before sundown. We wish to be placed by the well the phoenix sings at each morning, where Apollo comes to listen to it."

Athena leaned down to look at the map more closely. She then leaned back, smiling slightly down at them. "You know your territory and its gods well, Theo," she said with pride. "Because of your knowledge, I will grant your wish. You, Daniel, are very lucky to have this demigod with you in your quest."

"Thank you," the boys said in union.

The companions then faced each other with huge grins on their faces. They both knew that it would have taken them at least three more days to get to that well in Arabia, and that would be with Danny flying them most of the time. With this wish, they had just gained three extra days to their quest. The news made both of them excited.

"Nike will help you there," Athena said as she faded into the shadows of the temple.

"Hey, boys!" another voice said from behind them. The demigods spun around and saw Nike standing there. She was tall and slim with bright, blue eyes and long, golden hair. She looked around their age. The white robe she wore was constantly billowing around her body, as if it was in the wind. But what really popped out with her were the long, feathery wings that were stretched out behind her.

"Whoa!" Danny breathed, in total amazement. "You have wings!"

"It's not polite to stare," Nike said, putting her hands on her hips. She was a spunky little thing. She looked over at Theo and waved while saying with a hyper tone, "Hey, Theo! I haven't seen you in a few years! Still making maps?"

"Uh…yeah," he said with a sweet smile. It was odd for him to see her again after not talking in about five years. She acted like it had only been a few days, though. "Are you going to take us there?" he asked her even though he knew the answer. It was just something to prevent any awkward silence.

"Oh, yeah!" she said with a cute giggle, as if remembering something important. "Hang on tight, boys!" she leapt forward, grabbed the two by a wrist, and then powerfully flapped her wings a few times to gain altitude. She grinned down at them before blasting out of the temple, soaring high into the sky.

Danny watched as the temple became a little dot on the ground. The city of Athens appeared the moment they left the temple. Soon the busy city was only a tan dot surrounded by green rolling hills. He looked over to where Theo was beside him and noticed the troubled look in his eyes.

"What?" Danny asked in a low voice so Nike couldn't hear him. "I know you enough to see when you are worried. Why?"

Theo watched as the city vanished on the horizon. They were now flying over the Mediterranean Sea. The experience of flying with Nike was strange, yet comforting at the same time to Danny. He was surprised how his arm that she was hanging onto wasn't sore or hurting. He just guessed it was another normal goddess thing. He was finally getting used to the weird life of being a ghost.

"I'm just thinking," Theo said quietly.

"So you always look worried when you think?" Danny asked jokingly.

Theo smiled warily back, trying to keep up the good mood. "We just have so much to do in such little time," he said with a tired sigh. "I'm fine." Danny didn't believe him for one second.

-The Next Morning-

"Now…we wait," Theo told Danny from where they were hiding behind some bushes. Nike had taken them to a small oasis in the middle of a desert wasteland in Arabia. She then said she had to quickly get back to Greece, taking off as soon as they landed.

The boys hadn't bothered with a fire and went to sleep right away; letting the open sky above them filled with stars as their illumination. To secure protection, they had fallen asleep with their backs leaning against each other. So if one of them woke up, the other would be woken up as well. Danny didn't know why Theo wanted them to sleep that way, but he guessed it was for the best.

Groggy and sore from their brutal fight, the boys woke up a few minutes before sunrise the next morning. Danny found out that his once empty sack now had a symbol in it. He placed it on the ledge of the mud brick well that was in the middle of the desert oasis. Now all they had to do was watch to make sure Apollo got his harp back.

Things went smoothly according to plan. From their spot behind the bushes, the boys watched as an orange and red feathered bird gracefully swooped down to the well and landed on its ledge. As the phoenix flung water into the air to bathe itself, it let out a beautiful song. Danny couldn't help feeling hypnotized to the wonderful tune as he closed his eyes to soak it up. Theo was doing the same, his worries gone for the moment.

As it sung, the sun slowly rose above the sand dune horizon. It painted the sky blood red, as if mimicking the phoenix's bright feathers. The sight was so brilliant, that it almost took Danny's breath away. For a moment it felt like he was on vacation or something. He knew people would kill to see something like this, and he was getting it free.

The moment didn't last long. Soon the bird was done with its morning bath. It gave a last little twitter before it took off into the air, flying toward the sunrise it seemed to have created by magic.

The boys didn't watch it leave because they were too busy spying on Apollo as he walked up to the well where his harp was. He picked it up with a faint smile, glad to have his symbol back. He looked around for a second, trying to find the demigods who had returned it to him but with no success. The god gave up after a short period of looking; walking back to a chariot that he had ridden there, which vanished along with the god as soon as Apollo stepped onto it. Soon it was only Danny and Theo there.

"That was the easiest god yet," Danny said as he stood up with Theo. "Why can't all the gods be that way?"

"If they were all like that, then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place," Theo stated bluntly, but he was still smiling.

They turned around to leave and came face to face with someone. The boys put on the brakes, letting out stifled gasps of surprise. The man was bent down so he was at their eye height. A cruel, haunting smile had already made itself known on the man's lips as he looked them over like cattle being chosen for a feast.

"Hello, Theo," the man said coolly as he pinned his gaze on the demigod.

A/N: Another cliffhanger. I think I like torturing my poor, innocent readers. Two quick notes before I leave you guys. Firstly, my new picture will be up BEFORE the fourth of July. I'm making that deadline for myself because I'm horrible at updating without commitment. Lastly, did you see the announcement for the five new Danny Phantom episodes? AH! I've already seen them, but I'm excited to get them in good quality and for other watchers to finally see the next season! Watch them! They are good! Ha, ha! Have a flipping good Independence Day, people! The next update will be soon!


	11. Chapter 11 Home Sweet Home

A/N: Sorry for the delay again. This week has been really busy. My family declared bankruptcy and decided not to move out of PA for my dad to get a new job. So things have been hectic because we now have the money to build a deck and put in a new water tank. Then I saw a documentary on Egypt and it gave me all new ideas for this part of my fic. So I've been going over these ideas to see how I can fit them into here. Well, here's the chapter finally. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Everything in this fic is my own ideas from myths and legends of the Ancient Greek times. The only thing that I don't own is the characters from Danny Phantom.

Chapter 11 Home Sweet Home

"I can explain, Ra!" Theo said in a rush as he took a step backwards. Danny did the same, frowning deeply when hearing the man's name. He knew that name…but from where? He really wished he had paid more attention in history class.

Ra stood up straight and threw his head back, letting out a haunting laugh. The man was very tall, at least six feet high. He was extremely tanned with a perfectly muscled body like Danny had seen with the Greek gods. He wore only a light blue silk towel around his waist, sandals, and a hat on his head that reminded Danny of what the pharaoh's of Egypt wore. His black eyes seemed to bore right into the demigods.

"You can explain all you want when you get to the council," Ra spat into Theo's face as he finished laughing at Theo's pathetic attempt at a protest.

"Move!" Theo screamed at Danny as he shoved him aside suddenly. Danny hit the ground and got a mouthful of gritty sand, confused and alarmed about what was going on. Who was this man?

Ra deftly lunged for Theo, but the demigod swiftly rolled to the side to evade the man's touch. He sprung back to his feet and did a quick back hand spring to dodge another attack from the man. He looked up to see that Ra wasn't going after him anymore. He was walking over to where Danny was getting back to his feet. Theo ran to try and get Danny out of harm's way.

Danny turned around just as Ra reached out for him. All Ra had to do was grab Danny's arm for his power to be released. The demigod let out a short cry of pain as it felt like his veins were flooding with burning lava, setting his whole body on fire. The overbearing pain instantly knocked the kid's lights out. He was seeing black before his head hit the sand again.

Quick as a snake, Ra turned around and reached with an outstretched hand for the devastated Theo that was right behind him. Ra grinned wickedly as he managed to grab Theo by the chin. He could literally feel the fear in Theo as they stood still for a second, Ra letting the demigod see his defeat.

Theo's heart felt like a deafening drum beating in his chest, filling his ears with its escalating sound. His stomach churned as all his anxieties were coming true. Ra's hold on his chin made his whole jaw burn and ache, daring him to winch. But the demigod held his dignity by only standing there, waiting for the pain to come, to overtake him.

Wanting to make the banished demigod squirm, Ra pulled his captured prize toward him. Theo complied, taking a few steps toward the Egyptian sun god, his breath held to keep down his fear. Ra tilted the chin upward, forcing Theo to stare up into his smiling face.

"You were the only one I couldn't quiet control," Ra said down to Theo, letting out some more of his power through his fingertips. "Now look at you, Theo. I have you in the palm of my hand."

"Shove it up your a–," Theo retorted, being cut off at the end as Ra poured more power into his hold. With a grunt of insolence, Theo pulled away from the hold at the last second, only to fall to his knees before completely blacking out.

Ra watched with a scowl as Theo fell toward the earth. The demigod was still able to fight his power even after so many years of being away from Egypt and Ra's close eye on him. He didn't like having the council banish the demigod. It had meant that they had given up on controlling the bad egg. But he hadn't given up. Ra knew that he would someday be able to break the boy, make him obey like all the others. He had thought that his chances for that were destroyed, but today had opened so many options.

The scowl was replaced by a satisfied grin on Ra's lips. He wouldn't let Theo's defiance get to him. The demigod had always been defiant like that. He hadn't changed. For Ra, it was like picking up where they had left off. This was going to be a good day for him.

Taking his time, Ra tied up both of the demigods' hands with some rope he had brought with him. It was easy for the sun god to travel. Anywhere the sun touched he was able to teleport himself to. Of course his power was limited in that area, but it was limitless when it came down to knowing exactly where people were when the sun was shining on them. That was how he knew when Theo had first stepped into a territory near Egypt. Theo was a fool for returning.

Smiling to himself, Ra gripped both boys' arms. He closed his eyes, envisioning where he wanted to teleport. He'd be wasted of power and energy if he went all the way back to where the pharaoh lived with the rest of the gods and goddesses which made up the council. Deciding to conserve his energy, the god thought of a bank on the Nile River which would take him to the city of Giza. And in a flash of brilliant white light, all three were gone.

-Few Hours Later-

Moaning awake, Danny dared to open his eyes. His whole body felt heavy and groggy, as if he had ran a few miles with a person on his back and had only been able to sleep for an hour. Every muscle ached and protested as the teen moved to sit up. He quickly found out that his wrists were bound in front of him, making it even harder to get up. But he managed to get into a sitting position and take in his new surroundings.

Danny was somewhat surprised to see that his was on a boat. Annoyed with being confused, the boy rubbed his forehead with a groan. He faintly remembered what had happened with Ra at the oasis, but his mind was too clogged for him to figure it out. Things were just going from bad to worse. And he had so many questions. How many days had he been out? Where was he? Who was Ra? Where was Theo?

Alarmed at the last question, Danny whirled his head around to try and find his friend. It didn't take long. In his bleary state from before, he hadn't seen the demigod standing at the railing on the portside of the small, reed woven boat. Danny let out a small sigh of relief.

Struggling to his feet, Danny studied Theo for any hint of his mood. Usually he was able to read the demigod. But no apparent frame of mind was showing itself in Theo's posture from where Danny was behind him. Actually, the guy seemed pretty calm, almost distant.

Danny lumbered over to Theo's side and stared out at the landscape for a silent minute. He'd seen this place before, when Tucker had become pharaoh over Amity Park a few months ago. Just the only thing different was that that experience was an over exaggerated vision and this was dead real.

Three, giant limestone pyramids stood on the other side of the river. They majestically loomed high over the sandy wasteland. The Great Sphinx sat close to the pyramids. It looked like it dominated the shore and the bustling city of Giza below it. Sitting between the pyramids and the sphinx was a large temple, set for the pharaoh.

Danny sighed, finally knowing where he had heard the name Ra before. "The sun god," Danny said suddenly. One of Theo's ears twisted to pick up the sound of his voice. He looked over at Danny with a raised eyebrow of silent question. "Ra is the Egyptian sun god," Danny explained. "But you already know this, don't you? All I want to know is how he does that super-hurty-trick."

Theo let out a pent up sigh before saying, "I have no idea how he does it. All I know is that it hurts, but you can avoid it by staying clear of his touch. Actually, you have more of a resistant to it than I do, you not being an Egyptian demigod and all."

"Yeah, I'll be happy when that happens," Danny said with the roll of his eyes. "The dude sure does know how to make it a painful black out. He needs a new hobby, something less creepy and agonizing."

Theo smiled slightly when hearing Danny's spiteful comments. Danny saw this, wondering why the guy wasn't freaking out by now. Didn't he know that they were in serious danger right now? In a few hours they could end up dead! Theo had more of a chance of that sentence than Danny. The ghost boy knew that he would be an incoherent mess right about now if he was in Theo's banished shoes.

Looking around for a brief second, Theo suddenly pulled Danny closer to him. Feeling lost for time, Theo whispered urgently into the teen's hear, "No matter what, we stick together! We can not separate. Our escape is going to have to be quick. If I see an opening, I'm going for it without hesitation. You have to be right beside me. And if you see a good chance, you do the same. No questions, just impulse. We are getting out of here or going to die trying. Trust me; this is not a good place to waste your life away at. Are you with me?"

"Impulse, yeah," Danny said with a nod, relieved to know that Theo had his head in the game.

"Good," Theo said with a wry grin. He let Danny's arm go, relaxing somewhat to know that Danny had his back. And for once the ghost boy wasn't wasting time by freaking out or asking stupid questions. He saw that Danny still looked somewhat upset. Theo nudged him with an elbow and whispered, "Relax a little, kid. This is my home country. I know it like you know the twists and turns of your own Amity Park." Danny managed a weak smile, slightly comforted by Theo's strange optimism.

"Plotting and scheming your way out of here, are you?" Ra cut in as he leaned his head in between the two boys' heads. Danny gave a short yell, never knowing the god had been standing right behind them. Theo held in his surprised gasp, but he was nonetheless shocked by Ra's presence.

They turned to face the god, but Ra slipped his body between the boys and put his hands on their shoulders. The god smiled wickedly when he released some of his power through his fingertips that gripped them. Both Danny and Theo couldn't help but gasp as hot pain surged through their bodies. Ra then released them and bent down to their eye level, that sick smile still planted on his face.

Danny right away backed off, taking a few steps back to avoid any other painful experiences. Theo took the opposite approach as he gripped the boat's railing, trying not to turn back around and kicking the immoral in the face. Theo knew Ra did that only to get under either his or Danny's skin. And they couldn't do anything in their situation to stop it. That fact made Theo's blood boil.

"Whatever you two are planning, it won't work," Ra stated confidently. The captured demigods didn't respond. Folding his arms in front of his chest, Ra turned around and sat on the railing next to Theo, eyeing the teen to read him. But just like Danny, the god couldn't see anything in Theo. He was keeping his feelings under close lock and key.

"So," Theo said slowly as he glanced over to Ra beside him, "Why bring me to the council? You could have killed me out there at the oasis easily, and no one would have known."

Ra leaned down so his face was in Theo's. The demigod didn't back off, but instead smirked slyly back as he waited for his answer. "I have a lot planned for young foolish demigods like you," he said.

"What about me?" Danny asked dryly.

"You could pass as a tourist," Theo said, grinning when seeing Ra frown in annoyance. "You ask enough questions."

"Who are you?" Ra asked as he stepped over to Danny.

Danny shrugged nonchalantly even with his heart rate sky rocketing from having Ra's full attention on him. The god loomed over him, dominating the situation with only his height. "Just a friend of Theo's," he said with a nervous grin.

"Really?" Ra said, uninterested. He put his hands on his hips and asked, "What are you; human, demigod, god perhaps?"

"Human," Danny lied quickly. For some reason his gut told him that keeping his demigod status a secret would be better on his health. The quick nod from Theo told Danny his choice of words was smart. To back himself up, Danny added, "I mean, you really think that any of those demigods would befriend a crazy banished half sphinx? He has a tail! That's enough to make anyone run."

"Thanks," Theo muttered.

"No problem," Danny said, grinning, but not because of his 'non-intended' insults, but because Ra seemed to have bought the hastily put together lie. But the god wasn't finished with his interrogation of the ghost kid.

"Then why were both of you in Arabia giving Apollo's harp back to him, if I may be so blunt?" Ra asked with narrowed eyes. He knew Theo well enough to expect some kind of trickery going on at the moment. He looked back and forth between the two, trusting none of them.

"You see, we were just playing around one day, and I came up with the not-so-brilliant plan of stealing the god's symbol," Theo said, easily fabricating the tale.

"I didn't want to steal it," Danny butted in. He knew that the only way for Ra to believe the stupid lie was for both of them to feed off each other. "But Theo said it was just for fun and Apollo would understand. I guess we should have stolen Dionysus's symbol instead. He's more forgiving in that area."

Theo was amazed by Danny's capacity to lie. He had always thought that superheroes like him had morals about lying, but he guessed Danny didn't go by them. He was sure to call Danny on it later, though, to get him back for those ugly friend comments he had just made.

"Yeah," Theo quickly said to continue the story. "It turned out that Apollo was seriously angry once he realized his symbol was gone. It wasn't a pretty sight."

"Told you so," Danny muttered.

Theo shot Danny a glare before saying, "So to avoid getting punished or something bad, we returned the harp to Apollo. We didn't want to show ourselves. That was why you caught us hiding behind those bushes."

"It was going smoothly until a certain psychotic Egyptian sun god decided to play the revenge game and knocked us out," Danny pointed out rather boldly. Theo gave a sharp, entertained laugh when hearing this. Ra only stared down at Danny with his black eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

Striking without warning, Ra wrapped a strong hand around Danny's throat. He dragged the kicking and screaming ghost boy to the railing next to the helpless Theo. His face stone cold, Ra rammed Danny's head into the Nile River. Through the murky waters, Danny could make out the face of his captor and Theo hovering at his side looking greatly distressed.

"Let him go!" Theo shouted at Ra. "You can't just drown him! Let him go!"

He rushed in to help his friend, but Ra grabbed onto one of Theo's cat ears and a few locks of his brown hair. Pulling the demigod so they were eye to eye, Ra gave him a deadly look that shut Theo up right away. This was entirely out of Theo's hands.

Danny never realized how sweet and precious air could be until that day. All the struggling in the world couldn't get him out of Ra's hold on him. After a few long, strenuous seconds, Danny's lungs were praying for that one gasp of air. He would have gone ghost by now, but his mind was too plagued by panic and terror. He was going to die!

Then suddenly he was pulled up slightly so he could get that breath. Gasping loudly and choking like he was going to hack up a lung, Danny greedily took in the air as if he had been deprived of it for years. He looked upward, staring silently at the expressionless face of Ra through his wet black hair that stuck to his skin. There was a moment when Danny didn't know if he was going to return to those terrible waters or be free. His fate was in this god's hands. The feeling was terrifying.

"You need to learn your place, human," Ra said icily at Danny, spitting the 'human' part out like it was a disgusting thing to even mention. "If I hear a comment like that from you ever again, I will be swift to kill you on the spot. Understand?"

"Yes," Danny managed to choke out.

Ra easily lifted Danny back over the railing and flung him right into Theo who was standing worryingly behind the god. The two slammed harshly into each other and landed roughly on their backs on the deck with winces of pain. Theo got to his knees with Danny, noticing the teen's hands shaking slightly.

"You're okay, kid," Theo whispered to Danny reassuringly. Danny said nothing at first, still reeling from his last scare. "You're okay," Theo repeated, "Right?" Danny then nodded silently, not trusting his voice at the moment. "Good," Theo said with his own nod. Things were going to Hades in a hand basket, but Theo wasn't going to ever show it. He somehow was going to have to keep it together, not just for himself, but for Danny.

Moments later, the ship came to port. Human Egyptian soldiers boarded the ship as it was being tied down to a dock. Danny and Theo were jerked to their feet and pushed onto the dock by these men. They wore the same towel around their waists, but also had on other light armor and a sword at their side, them being soldiers and all. The men said nothing to the demigods and avoided all eye contact. It was clear they were nervous under Ra's harsh stare.

Soon the boys were walking down the streets of Giza. With Ra in the lead, the people in front of him parted as if they were the Red Sea itself with the god ironically playing as Moses. The crowd quickly saw that Theo was half sphinx. A low murmur went up from them as Theo and Danny went by. Danny took it all in with wonder. The place was just so big and incredible that it was hard not to stare at everything they passed.

Theo only gritted his teeth together and stared straight ahead. He had thought that he would never see this city or Egypt ever again. He had blocked the marvels of Giza out of his head for so many years. Any memory he had of the place, either happy or sad, had been repressed. Seeing it all over again was digging up old wounds. It all came down to one thing that he didn't want admit to himself.

He missed Egypt.

They were taken straight to the pharaoh's temple. The boys gave each other looks before they were forced to climb the stairs of the great stone carved palace. After the Acropolis, they had firmly decided that stairs were evil.

The temple was open with large pillars lined perfectly on the edges to hold up the ceiling. The place was one long strip leading to the throne where the pharaoh sat with his advisors and a god or two that were feeling bored that day. Servants rushed all over the place, carrying food and water for the important people there. Seeing the food made the boys' stomachs grumble. They hadn't had a meal in at least 24 hours. They weren't near to starving, but their bellies felt hollow by now. And being under the desert heat wasn't helping much with their thirst problem.

The boys were brought all the way to the throne. The whole time all eyes were on them. The feeling of all those stares made Danny shift in his binds uncomfortably and made Theo clench and unclench his jaw. It was enough to drive both demigods nuts.

Once they were closer to the throne, Danny got a good look of the pharaoh. The king of all Egypt was only a young teen, no more than 14 years old! This didn't sit well with Danny. The poor guy was way too young make good decisions on his own and would be prone to sway to suggestions. It wasn't going to be the pharaoh who was going to declare their fate. It was sure to be the person with the most persuasion skills. And Ra had a way of influencing people.

They stopped and were forced to their knees a few yards in front of the throne. The soldiers then blended into the small crowd that had formed around the two captured teens. There was no doubt that they would return to view if any of the two boys did something risky.

"I would like to present to all of you," Ra announced to the crowd charmingly, "Theo, the banished demigod." As he said this, he grabbed a fist full of Theo's hair and practically dragged him to the foot of the throne.

The young pharaoh leaned forward in interest. He had never had someone who had been banished brought to him. New things always made him nervous and excited. He looked right into Theo's face to try and understand the mood. Theo's stare was hard and cold, almost scaring the poor pharaoh. Apparently the situation wasn't a happy one.

"Um…who is the other boy there?" the pharaoh asked quietly as he pointed over to Danny behind Ra.

Without even looking back, Ra answered, "That is Theo's Greek human friend who was with Theo when I found him. He is unimportant."

_Does he even know my name?_ Danny thought to himself as he glared daggers at the god. How dare he say that Danny Phantom wasn't important! Boy, did he want to go ghost at the moment. But he had to save that trick for the future. He couldn't let some pride anger issue get in the way of a good escape tactic.

The pharaoh nodded in understanding, noting the heated expression on Danny's face. He didn't like this anymore. He didn't like it when the situation before him dealt with death or harmful outcomes. He was only a kid. It was hard for him to sentence someone to their demise. But it was his duty, and he was going to have to do it no matter how wrong it felt.

"What is the usual punishment for this offense?" the pharaoh asked Ra.

"Death," Ra answered with a small pause for suspense. Danny noticed the crowd's reaction of shock. He also caught the frown of disappointment on the pharaoh's face. "But I propose another course of action for his punishment," Ra added just as the pharaoh's advisors started to whisper into the boy's ears.

Glad to avoid a death on his hands, the pharaoh waved off his advisors. He tried to suppress his smile of relief before asking politely, "What would that be?"

Ra glanced down to Theo who he was still holding onto. He saw the fear in the teen's eyes now, which made him smile slightly. "I propose to keep the banished demigod alive," Ra said smoothly. "I say he works for his life. I think in a few years of him under my service he'll have a new perspective on things. I haven't had a personal slave for a few centuries now. I believe Theo will do perfectly."

A/N: I also want to apologize for not posting the picture's link on my bio. I had posted it on DA, but then I totally forgot to put the link on fan fic. Things in my head are just crazy at the moment. More is to come! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12 Pyramid Hideaway

A/N: Okay, I'm having a hard time pumping out two chapters a week like I used to, so I'm making it so that every Friday I'll update. And have you guys been watching the new episodes at four all this week? I live in PA, so if you live in that time zone area, you should be getting the new episodes and you should be watching them. Other than that, I have nothing to say. Proceed to read my latest chapter!

Disclaimer: Wishing gets you nowhere…and that is why I don't own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 12 Pyramid Hideaway

For a second there was complete silence in the temple. The crowd was puzzled over Ra's want for a servant. As a god, the guy could get something with the snap of his fingers. Gods usually had no need for a slave unless the person gave their soul to the god, or the god really wanted to make that person's life miserable.

Theo didn't dare look up at Ra. The cold hand of fear had managed to finally grip the demigod's heart, threatening to bring panic with it. Being a slave for a god meant going through hell till death…then you could bargain with Hades to try and talk your way out of experiencing it again. It meant you were literally bound to that god. Escaping was not even considered an option. And defiance was just as bad as trying to escape because it all came down to one thing. That god owned you.

How long would it take for Theo to break? Would he crumble to Ra's ways and rules in a few weeks, or would it get prolonged out for a year? One thing was for certain, though. The demigod would break down at some point. When no hope was there, Theo would surely crack by either killing himself or becoming Ra's perfect slave. Those were really the only two options a slave to a god had in life.

Only knowing the ins and outs of ruling Egypt for less than a few years, the pharaoh didn't know the life of a god slave. There hadn't been one in his lifetime. They were pretty rare. The pharaoh saw that sparing the life of the demigod would be better than sending him straight to the Underworld.

"I believe that is a very…creative solution. I agree with you on it. The demigod will become your slave," the young pharaoh said after some thought. He tried to catch Theo's eyes, but the demigod was quickly scanning the whole room, his mind racing for a way out. The pharaoh then looked over to Danny and said, "And his Greek friend will become a slave in my palace. I will see how he manages. If he is not to my liking, I will sell him." There, no one was going to loose a head. It made the kid very proud of himself.

"Actually," Theo said quietly from where he was still kneeling next to Ra, "I hate that idea!" With a sharp battle cry, Theo whipped out his dagger from what seemed like nowhere and plunged it deep into Ra's leg. The god let out a cry of pain and released his grip on Theo's hair. The demigod pulled the blade back out of the bloodless wound and rolled out of Ra's reach.

"You will regret that!" Ra hissed at Theo.

"I regret not doing that earlier," Theo said with a dark smile. The teen then jumped high into the air, did a flip, and landed in a crouch right next to Danny. Acting faster than the soldiers coming at them, Theo cut both his and Danny's binds while yelling urgently at him, "Ghost! Go ghost, Danny!"

"It's about flipping time!" Danny said with grin. In a flash, the normal human teen had turned into a full fledged ghost. The crowd retracted, gasping and screaming in fear or shock. Even the soldiers paused a little, hesitant about fighting two demigods at once. Danny's grin widened when he saw Ra's astounded expression. "Unimportant am I?" he shouted over to Ra.

"No time for spiteful comments! Fly us out of here before they snap out of their shock," Theo said to Danny. The ghost kid nodded, and wasted no time grabbing Theo's wrists and blasting out of the temple. They were both all too ready to kiss Egypt and its crazy system goodbye. The sweet taste of freedom was only a day flight over the Mediterranean Sea away.

It was losing that taste of freedom when Danny suddenly turned back into his human form that sent a pang of horror through both the boys. One moment they were shooting out of the temple, and the next moment they were falling straight toward the earth at a harsh angle. The city's brick rooftops quickly got bigger as the teens fell with screams of alarm. This was going to be a very painful landing.

The boys impacted the earth for a brief second before rolling haphazardly down a dirt road close to the palace. People scattered with screams as Danny and Theo came skidding to painful stops on the road. A thick dust cloud gathered around the moaning boys as they struggled to pick themselves up. After a few winces and groans, the bruised demigods somehow dizzily got to their feet, covered from head to toe with dust.

"What was that?" Theo asked Danny, choking on the dust that clogged his nose and put a gritty taste in his mouth.

On the brink of swearing, Danny shouted back in frustration, "That guy just shorted out my powers! I hate it when other ghosts do that! I'm powerless till I regain enough energy. I hate that god!" Theo was a bit surprised at Danny's outburst. He hadn't seen Danny that angry before…unless he counted that fight they had the other day.

Theo looked up to where the temple was a few blocks away. Human soldiers were pouring down the stairs, on their way to apprehend the demigods. They didn't have much time. And with Danny powerless, it was going to be hard to fight the soldiers. Things weren't going the way Theo had originally planned them.

"Figures," Theo muttered before asking Danny, "How long will it take for you to get enough energy?"

"A few minutes," Danny answered quickly. "But it would be useless if Ra would just short them out again. I really need to learn how to deflect that power somehow."

"I thought you missed Egypt, Theo," the chilling voice of Ra said from behind them. "Why would you want to leave so soon?"

"How did you –," Danny asked as he and Theo spun around to face their enemy.

"Teleportation," Ra answered as he flashed them a confident smile.

"Jeez, I forgot about that power!" Theo hissed to himself. How were they to leave Egypt with Ra knowing exactly where they were and being able to follow all day? They would have to wait till night when the sun wasn't shining over the land. But where could they stay hidden for the next seven hours?

As Ra started to walk briskly toward the boys, Theo's ears perked up as an idea hit him. He knew he was crazy by even considering it, but it was possible once Danny got his powers back.

"Follow me," Theo whispered to Danny. He then made a mad dash for a dark alleyway a few yards away. Danny was right with him, ready to get away from Ra by any means possible. If that meant running up thousands of stairs a millions times, he was up for it. He was starting to realize why Theo said dying was better than living here. Danny was on the brink of agreeing.

A flash of light in front of them gave Theo the hint that Ra was teleporting again. The demigod quickly shot forward into a duck roll, coming up right behind the god who had appeared there as Danny dashed around the light. Pushing off one heel after the roll, Theo thrust his body into a high spin kick. His other heel collided perfectly with Ra's ear, sending the god staggering. Seconds after landing, Theo was up and running after Danny.

"Do you know how to use a weapon?" Theo asked Danny as they ran down the dim alley. A look over his shoulder told Danny that Ra wasn't following them. It was like the god was allergic to shade or something.

"I can use a sword somewhat," Danny answered, remembering back to his battle with Plasmius a month ago when he had lost the Infi-map to the man.

"Good," Theo said with a nod. Danny saw a hint of a thoughtful smile come to Theo's lips. The guy was concocting something in that constantly working brain of his. Danny wondered if it was going to be a good or a bad thing. He could never tell with Theo.

"Why do you ask?" Danny asked suspiciously.

They stopped to catch their breaths at the edge of the alley. Two more steps and they would be in sunlight. At the moment they were safe and out of harm's way. But soon the soldiers would be on them. Theo turned to Danny and explained to him his off the wall plan in a rush of words.

"Okay, we are going to hide out in that pyramid over there," Theo said as he pointed to the biggest pyramid of the three that soared high into the air. Before Danny could say something, Theo continued. "Ra won't be able to catch us if we stick to the shadows. He can go in shadows, but he can't teleport from them or into them. If we stay here and fight for a few minutes till your energy is restored, we then could phase into the ground and end up in a tomb. We stay there till night time, and then we leave without any difficulties."

Danny stared at Theo for a second in silence. "Are you high?" he then asked seriously.

"What?" Theo asked in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like, are you on drugs?" Danny said.

Silence.

"No!" Theo shouted his frustration. "I'm not on drugs, you idiot!"

"Give me one good reason why I should go spend a day in a nasty, dark and creepy mummy infested tomb all day," Danny said while crossing his arms.

"It's the only place these soldiers won't dare go into," Theo explained. "Ra won't be able to get into the pyramid too because the sun never shines in there. We will be safe for the whole day."

"Safe?" Danny asked, liking the word somewhat.

"Yeah," Theo lied with a grin. Hey, if it got Danny to go ahead with the plan with him, then he'd lie his heart out. He nodded a few times as he said, "It will be the safest place in all of Egypt. I swear."

Danny didn't want to believe Theo. He had always heard horror stories about haunted tombs and mummies coming back from the dead. He'd seen the movie "The Mummy" with the guy from "George of the Jungle" in it a thousand times over. He wasn't stupid when it came down to over exaggerated mummy stories like these. But what other option did they have at the moment? It was a plan, and like it or not, Danny saw that it was a half decent one.

"Okay," Danny said with a defeated sigh. "We'll hang out in a tomb all day."

"Good, because here comes the soldiers," Theo said with a grim smile. "I'll take care of someone for you so you'll have a weapon. After that, all we have to do is hold out for a few minutes."

"You're saying this like its going to be some simple task," Danny pointed out with a troubled tone in his voice.

"Trust me, you want the optimistic version," Theo snapped back.

Around half a dozen armor clad soldiers flooded the opening to the alley which the demigods had first ran through. Theo took a few steps toward the soldiers, ready to take them down. Danny leaned out of the other side of the alleyway when he heard marching footsteps. He bit his lower lip in concern when seeing six more soldiers coming their way. They were soon going to be surrounded!

Theo wasted no time in going into action. He knew the Egyptian soldiers were a bit timid about fighting the demigods, so he'd just have to use it to his advantage. He ran straight up to one soldier, and just when he was in sword range, he dropped to his knees, skidded under the blade pointed at him, and grabbed the man's hand that held the sword. With a grunt, Theo rolled onto his back and used that momentum to fling the soldier over his head with his feet.

"Danny, catch!" Theo called to the ghost boy as he slid the sword he had recently obtained across the sandy ground. The handle of the blade stopped right at Danny's feet. The teen smiled as he snatched it up with his right hand. It seemed like they could actually manage now. Theo's plan just might work.

As Theo fended off the first six soldiers on his side of the alley, Danny turned toward his six that had finally caught up. Danny hadn't ever taken any sword fighting lessons, so he didn't know exactly how this would play out once he saw the men round the corner.

The boy did know how to use a sword from having weird ghost fighting parents, though. Even before he had that lab accident where he turned into a half ghost, Danny's parents had come up with different ghost weapons. Most of them didn't work and Danny ended up with the remains. One of them had been a morphing sword. It could change into any blade you programmed into it. When bored, the kid had played around with it, figuring out how to defend and attack as the years went by. Now he was going to see if all that kidding around was going to pay off.

A soldier suddenly broke out of the formation and rushed toward Danny with his sword flung over his head. Acting fast, Danny kneeled down as he raised his sword over his head to deflect the blow. The man's blade came down vertically onto Danny's horizontal sword. The clash of metal on metal made Danny cringe. The strong vibrations alone were enough to jolt Danny into reality.

"This is a lot different than practicing on my sister's dolls," Danny mused to himself.

Letting his fighting instincts take control, Danny quickly stood back up and shoved a foot into the soldier's stomach. The guy fell back into two other soldiers, delaying their attacks and giving Danny a few seconds to think about his next move.

The two soldiers' blades came at Danny simultaneously. The boy managed to spin out of the way of one attack while parrying the other. Confidence growing with each step, Danny swung his sword back at the man with a battle yell escaping him. The soldier defended the attack, but Danny didn't mean to hurt him anyways.

Having that wild feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins, Danny jumped into the battle with his whole heart now. As if he was a pro at the art, Danny danced around the small area he had as his battle field with his sword swishing and twirling everywhere. It was parry here, dodge there, and attack.

Danny soon had a grin on his face.

Dealing with his own six soldiers was Theo. The demigod was having just as much fun as Danny, but he was calm and serious about it. The smile was hidden, but it was tempting to show. Instead of using the broad sword Danny was flinging around, Theo had stolen a long wooden staff with a spear at the end. As a kid growing up in Egypt, Theo had used this very weapon till he had run out of uses for it. These soldiers were in for a hard fight.

Without much mercy, Theo twirled his staff above his head before bringing it close to the ground and swiping it under two soldiers' feet. With cries of alarm, the men fell to their rear ends with their armor clanking in the process. Theo was already onto another soldier. He sprung high into the air, catching the soldier off guard, and came down hard onto the man's head. The blow sent the guy to dreamland in less than a second.

Landing in a crouch, Theo looked up to see that two more soldiers were coming at him. He rolled sideways, dodging a deadly blow from a sword that was now firmly stuck into the sandy ground. Still crouching, Theo rammed the butt of the staff into the next soldier's stomach, making the man stagger backwards and gasping to regain his breath. The teen snapped the staff so it was horizontally in front of him, whacking the soldier with the jammed sword in the head in the procedure. Theo let himself express something of a sly grin as he saw the guy fall to the ground unconscious.

"How you holding, Danny?" Theo called behind his shoulder to his friend.

"I'm good," Danny shouted back from where he had his sword interlocked with a soldier's. "How 'bout you, dude?"

Theo rolled his eyes before taking a quick swipe at a soldier with the spear; somewhat amused at seeing the alarm on the man's face. If Theo wanted to kill these guys they would all be dead by now. But Theo had already given up the cruel action of taking the life of someone. He had already decided that depriving someone of their life wasn't his job. His heart was too sensitive to ever enjoy death. It was that heart that got him kicked out of Egypt in the first place.

"I'm peachy," Theo responded. "How long till you have your powers back?"

"Don't tell me that you're tired already, Theo," Danny said teasingly from the other side of the alleyway. He grinned wickedly at the other soldier who had locked blades with Danny before the ghost boy shoved the man away. He parried an attack. Acting rather than thinking about it, Danny hooked his foot behind the attacking soldier's ankle and pulled in that leg. The man gave a yelp as he tripped on the foot and fell onto his back.

"I'm almost finished with my six," Theo came back, keeping up the joking mood. "I have at least three out cold right now. I saw your six and noticed that all are still standing. Maybe you need some help." Simply stepping to the side, Theo avoided a charging soldier. The demigod quickly stuck out his staff to make the man trip, successfully sending the guy to the ground. He then whacked the guy's head to launch him off to la la land. "That would now be four out cold soldiers," Theo added smugly.

Theo got no answer from Danny. He turned around in confusion to see six much worn out soldiers looking around in bafflement and perplexity. Danny was gone!

"Crap!" Theo hissed as he scanned the alley for his ghost friend. "Why does he have to play mystery games with my mind?" Theo asked himself. "I'm in no mood for hide-and-go-seek!"

It was the almost silent sound of sand shifting from footfalls which Theo caught with his perceptive ears that alerted the demigod of the near danger. Spinning around to face the attacker, Theo held his staff at the ready. His eyes went wide in fear when he saw Ra briskly walking toward him with a sinister energy pouring off him.

The god was ready to tear Theo's head right off. The demigod could literally feel the air around him become dark and foreboding, increasing with each step Ra took toward him. All Theo's hairs stood up in anticipation. The teen got into a battle stance, on the balls of his feet, ready to fight Ra if it really came down to it. He didn't believe he would ever win an encounter like this, but he was going to go down swinging.

And then suddenly he was sinking into the ground. Screaming in alarm, Theo was sucked into the floor by an invisible force. All he could see then was black. It felt like someone was pulling him along somewhere. After a moment, Theo realized it was Danny. They were heading toward the tomb! His plan had worked!

Coming out of the floor of the tomb was like breaking the surface of water. Theo didn't like the feeling of phasing through the ground. There was a creepy feeling to it that sent shivers up his spine.

The tomb was pitch-black. A dank, musky smell instantly overwhelmed both of the boys' noses, making them want to gag on the thick, stale air. It was cold in the black tomb they had arrived in. The coolness was a nice change from the overbearing scorching heat they had experienced for the last couple of hours.

"No! Don't put me down! Don't put me down!" Theo screamed at Danny with alarm plainly heard in his voice. Danny smiled in confusion as he felt Theo tighten his grip on his wrist. What could possibly cause Theo so much panic? It was almost comical to Danny.

"What? You afraid of getting your paws cold?" Danny asked with a chuckle.

"Light! Get some light in here!" Theo demanded urgently.

Danny rolled his eyes while letting one of his hands burst into green ectoplasm energy. The rock walls of the small room instantly lighted up with an eerie green flicker. Danny looked down to see the floor covered with black shining scorpions!

Both boys screamed.

A/N: I just loved my ending of this chapter! It reminded me of that old school Scooby-Doo show where they leave you off with Shaggy and Scooby screaming because some mummy popped out of nowhere or some monster has appeared. I can just picture Danny holding Theo like how Shaggy always held Scooby and them screaming like girls. Sometimes it's the simple spooks in life that freak you out more than the big ones. I'll see you guys next Friday with another chapter! Please review!


	13. Chapter 13 Playing Nurse

A/N: I went over a few ideas for the chapter, and this one came out at the last minute. I'm not great with writing out firm plot lines for my fics; so many times I make things up as I type and then see where my characters take the plot line. Sometimes my characters can surprise me. For these next two chapters, that's exactly what they did. I wanted a chapter more focused on Danny before I gave you readers a Theo spot light chapter, so you'll see more phantom in this chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't sue because I don't own.

Chapter 13 Playing Nurse

It took a while for the boys to calm themselves down. Both their hearts were beating so fast they thought the other could clearly hear the pounding echo off the rocky walls of the tomb. But after the first initial scare, the two righted themselves somewhat. They were still pretty freaked at the sight below them, but they were calm enough to yell at each other.

"I thought you said this place was freaking safe!" Danny shouted at Theo.

Theo was still dangling above the mass of scorpions. His arms were burning from having Danny hang onto them, but he was just thankful he wasn't stomping around on poisonous scorpions. Their slight hissing from disturbance is what had alerted him to their presence. Now the little animals were hissing up a storm, warning the pair to back off or they would strike.

"I lied, okay!" Theo yelled back. At this point it didn't really matter if Danny knew he lied or not. As long as the boy didn't do something stupid like drop Theo, the demigod was fine with admitting his wrong.

"Why?" Danny demanded.

"We needed to be here," Theo defended himself.

"Because frolicking around a tomb packed with deadly scorpions is such an improvement!" Danny came back sarcastically. Theo knew by the sound of the boy's voice that Danny was angry with him. Actually, Theo could feel Danny's fury from him keeping a hold on his wrist. A deeper power beneath the ghost boy's surface was boiling inside of him, which sent tendrils of sparks down Theo's arm.

"I'm sorry," Theo said, trying to avoid another unnecessary fight between them. They didn't need to go all demigod on each other again. The last time they did that they had ended up wasting time and badly bruised. Theo just wanted to keep from going into physical combat with this kid for more than 24 hours. Was that too much to ask?

"Trust me, this place is safer than being with Ra or spending the rest of your life being a slave," Theo explained to Danny, keeping his voice even and calm. "We are just in a higher tomb where the scorpions can burry into from the sand. It is cool and damp in here, just how scorpions like it. They also feed on the bugs that dig into this cool area too. We just need to go down deeper, and we'll be fine."

"Okay," Danny said after letting out a long, pent up sigh. He turned intangible and floated through the scorpions and the floor, much to Theo's dislike. Danny saw the look of unease on Theo's face as they phased right through the scorpions and smirked. It wasn't every day he saw Theo like this.

They ended up coming through the ceiling of a dark hallway. Danny made sure there were no scorpions before letting go of Theo. Danny, glad to be able to be ghost after so many days of hiding strictly behind his human form, hovered tensely at Theo's side. As Theo found a torch and lit it with the snap of his fingers, Danny was constantly looking up and down the foreboding hallway.

"How'd you light that?" Danny asked Theo as soon as fire sparked to life on the torch. It instantly created a circle of bright light around them, as if keeping the shadows and darkness at bay.

"Some really powerful sphinxes have fire abilities," Theo explained. "I just so happen to create a simple spark whenever I snap my fingers. I don't have enough training to know how to use that power, though."

"What do you mean by training?" Danny asked. He was both curious about the subject and relieved to get his mind off the creepy, unsettling feeling he was having.

Theo gave Danny a sideways look before bravely plunging into the darkness of the stone carved hallway. Danny flew closely behind. The torch light seemed to be a stronghold in this miserably terrifying place. For a moment Danny didn't think Theo would respond to his question. The demigod was sniffing the air and flexing his ears around to catch every sensation. It looked like Theo was back to his difficult and moody self again.

"Every demigod here in Egypt gets trained," Theo finally said emotionlessly. "So do the ones in Greece and in other places around the world. You know, there are other kinds of demigods. There are some that are Hindu, Celtic, and African. Anywhere there is a god; there is a demigod close around. I guess gods can't resist the interaction between humans."

"Now, a trainer would have come real handy when I first started out in this whole ghost fighting business," Danny said with a chuckle, remembering all his mistakes of being half ghost for the first few months. The boy was amazed how much he had improved over the past year. He had to be ten times stronger than what he was in the beginning.

Theo and Danny came into a small room that worked as a tomb for someone not so important, like a second or third wife to a pharaoh. Theo silently and wearily placed the torch in a holding spot for it by the door to the tomb. With a tired sigh, he leaned his back against a mud brick wall and slid down it so he was sitting.

"You don't look so hot," Danny pointed out to Theo obviously. "You okay?" Danny sat crossed legged in front of his friend, wearing a worried expression for him.

"Yeah, it's just the aftereffects of Ra's powers on me," Theo said. He rested his hands on his bent knees and rubbed his forehead with a sigh. He looked up at Danny and stated out from the blue, "You're not a demigod. You know that, right?"

"You are high or something, man," Danny said jokingly with a laugh. "I'm half human, half ghost slash god. That makes me a demigod in these times. The only catch is that I don't have a ghost mom or dad. I guess you could consider me lucky in that area."

"No," Theo shook his head lethargically. He could feel his energy dwindling. For some reason he felt like saying this to Danny. "Gods have a human and ghost form," Theo said slowly. "You do too. You have too many powers to be a demigod. I don't think you know how to embrace this, but, Danny, you're actually a god. You're an immortal."

Danny frowned back at Theo.

"Wait," Danny said, "So you're saying that I'm as powerful as someone like Poseidon or Dionysus? Dude, that's impossible! I'm nowhere near as powerful as a god. I think you're a bit dehydrated."

"Yesterday, when we were throwing each other around that giant checkerboard, you could have easily have killed me if you wanted to," Theo said. "You held back."

"Well, duh, so did you!" Danny said. "We didn't really want to kill each other!"

"I held back because I knew if I got too serious so would you," Theo explained. "And if you got anymore serious, you could have killed me. I'm not saying you would have, but any more intensity to that fight and I would have been doomed. You're powerful, Danny. Like…really powerful. If you really wanted to…you could defeat Zeus."

"What are you implying?" Danny demanded, angry now. "That I take over all of freaking Greece? Oh, Danny, if you play your cards right you can rule Greece. Sounds like a wonderful plan, Theo. And I'll let you be my second hand man. Thanks for the brilliant idea!"

Theo smiled and laughed lightly. He knew what would get under the boy's skin. For the demigod, it was nice to feel Danny's anger, his spirit return. When Ra had almost drowned him, Theo had feared that all the fight had been yanked out of his friend. Now he saw it return full throttle, and Theo liked it.

"Dude," Theo said with a faint grin to try and keep Danny calm, "I'm implying nothing of that sort. Who would want to baby sit a whole bunch of stupid ghosts anyways? What I'm saying is that, if things get rough, you should know that you can get through it."

And with that said, Theo passed out. Danny's eyes widened first in shock, then in slight fear. He was already spooked about hanging out in the catacombs under a pyramid. He didn't want to have to stay there for hours without having Theo as his company. The demigod was smart and quick. Danny didn't want to admit that the guy was the most reassuring person he knew. Now the dude was passed out.

"Great, just what I needed," Danny muttered to himself. Too scared to try and sleep himself, Danny stood and paced the tomb to keep watch. He didn't want to be dozing off when some risen-from-the-dead mummy popped in for a visit. So the boy paced.

A small, painful groan from Theo snapped Danny out of his worrisome thoughts an hour later. Danny quickly flew over to where Theo was sitting. He bit his lower lip as he saw sweat trickle down Theo's brow. The demigod looked pathetically weak and wasted of energy. If he didn't have that short cover of fur, Danny knew the guy would be pale and sickly looking.

"Jeez! You're burning up!" Danny said after pressing a hand to Theo's sweaty forehead. Theo's only response was an intense shivering. "A fever isn't good," Danny stated to the half conscious Theo. "You need to cool down somehow."

Theo shivered again and gave a hiss of pain. "Ice powers," he managed to mumble out. He then returned to his shuddering as cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead and the rest of his body. Danny had never seen Theo so vulnerable.

"Okay, lay down and I'll see what I can do with my ice powers," Danny said, helping Theo lay down on his back. Letting out a sigh, Danny cleared his mind like he always had to do before using this power. Producing ice was still a delicate ability Danny had. He had just gained it about a month ago, and it was still a slightly uncontrollable thing to the ghost boy.

Danny waved a hand over Theo's forehead, creating a makeshift icepack on his head. A few seconds later the ice melted completely and flowed to make a pool under Theo's head. "Any human would be dead by now with this fever," Danny mused to himself. "Fried brains anyone?"

The teen then took his powers to the next level, incasing all of Theo's chest and head in ice. The boy was careful in every move he made. The last thing he wanted was to freeze Theo to death. This time it took around 15 minutes for all of the ice to melt. Danny repeated the procedure, constantly checking Theo's temperature.

For another three hours it was like that. Danny was at the brink of giving up and losing hope at the height of Theo's fever, but he was determined to not lose his friend. He would never give up on Sam or Tucker. That meant he wouldn't give up on Theo.

After a few intense minutes of Theo rambling under his breath, moaning, shivering, and writhing in pain, the fever broke. The demigod slept peacefully for a few more minutes as his temperature slowly went down. Danny didn't know much about fevers to know for sure if Theo was okay or not. It wasn't till Theo awoke after the fifth hour of them being in the tomb that Danny let himself believe his friend was fine.

"How long have I been out?" Theo asked the second he opened his eyes to see Danny hovering over him.

"He lives!" Danny shouted with joy and relief. A big smile plastered itself onto the boy's face. Theo only stared up at him in confusion, patiently waiting for his answer. "We've been down here for five hours," Danny finally said. He tapped his chin in thought before adding, "But I can't be sure. It just feels like it's been that long. I'm not a specialist on tracking time."

"I feel dead," Theo muttered. Danny laughed. Theo only stared up at Danny with a frown.

"You _should_ be dead," Danny said. "That fever was lethal. You're lucky to be living right now, dude."

"And nothing bad happened?" Theo asked in astonishment.

"What do you mean?" Danny questioned. A shiver slid down his spine. "Was something bad supposed to happen?"

Theo paused in thought then said grimly, "Yeah." With a groan, he sat up and rubbed his pounding head. But anything was better than the fever he had suffered under. Theo's demigod body wasn't designed to take so much power from Ra. Being exposed to all that raw power after so many years had shut down all of his systems. If Danny hadn't been there with his ice powers, Theo could have died. But now something felt different in his body. Something that had been indefinable before was now noticed.

As if being captured in a block of ice, Theo froze in place with his eyes narrowed. Danny silently watched his friend. Somehow Danny felt what Theo had detected. Something dark and evil was close…real close. The boys looked at each other, grim expressions plaguing their faces.

"Let's get out of here," Danny said as he yanked Theo to his unsteady feet. Fighting dizziness, Theo struggled to keep up. Danny frowned when seeing Theo wince and hold his head in pain. "Are you even going to be able to walk?" Danny asked incredulously.

Theo smirked back. "You scared you're going to have to carry me?" he asked.

"Quite frankly, yes," Danny said seriously. "You're pathetic, dude."

"Shove it," Theo said. He shook his head to clear it then steadily walked over to the torch and plucked it from its spot. "Two more hours till sundown," Theo said to Danny. "We can't leave till then. We'll just have to avoid whatever is coming after us."

"Should I know what this thing is that is coming after us?" Danny asked, hoping for an answer. The boys exited the small tomb and plunged into the darkness of the hallway. Once again, Danny made sure to fly close to the comforting light of the torch.

Theo chuckled nervously before answering with a question. "Do you know what sphinxes are used for?"

"Not really," Danny answered. "But please don't tell me they live in smelly old tombs."

"Hate to burst your bathtub bubbles," Theo said, "But that's exactly what they do. They protect the tombs from intruders like us. Tombs are sacred to the Egyptians. They were designed to successfully get the dead pharaoh to his afterlife. If one thing goes wrong, the Egyptians believe that the pharaoh will not be able to enjoy his afterlife. So they have a sphinx guard tombs and temples. One is hunting us down right now."

"Joy," Danny muttered sarcastically.

Silently, the boys aimlessly walked down different hallways. Danny was amazed that the Egyptians had managed to create all the secret passageways and hidden tombs so many feet underground along with a pyramid on top of it. They were building geniuses even though it was so primitive compared to Danny's own time.

After a few minutes of nothing but boring rock hallways, the boys felt a presence they didn't quite understand. A low rumble from the dark shadows ahead of them commanded both of them to stop in their tracks. Theo slowly bent down to retrieve his dagger since both Danny's sword and his staff were left behind before they phased to the pyramid. Danny was ready for anything, his hands made into tight fists with ectoplasm energy flowing smoothly from them.

The boys weren't ready for one minor detail, though.

Before Theo could reach his dagger, a hand burst out from the darkness behind the boys and latched onto Theo's shoulder. There was a flash of bright light just as the hand made contact. Danny was too stunned to do anything but watch in pure shock as his friend vanished before his eyes, leaving the torch behind. The act only took two seconds to happen.

"Theo!" Danny screamed his friend's name as if shouting it could bring Theo back. Danny was about to go after him, but the sphinx got to him first. The ghost kid turned just in time to see a woman with a lion's body jump into the light of the torch. The sphinx gave a loud growl before pouncing right at Danny with her sharp lion teeth bared.

With a yell of alarm, Danny tried to avoid the attack. The sphinx's huge extended front paws slammed into Danny's shoulders and brought him to the ground. The sphinx now had Danny pinned to the floor, snarling into his face. The sphinx's face was one of a young beautiful Egyptian woman…only very angry. Her long jet-black hair wildly hung into Danny's face, and her black eyes with cat-like, yellow pupils were narrowed into perilous slits.

"Good kitty!" Danny said nervously up to the cat girl who had him pressed against the hard, rocky ground.

"No one disturbs the pharaohs' resting place!" the sphinx roared into Danny's wincing face. "Die!"

Danny didn't let the sphinx even bring up a clawed paw. He brought up both his legs, placing the soles of his feet on the sphinx's stomach. In one strong heave, Danny had the cat flipping over his head and back into shadow. Danny quickly got up and looked ahead just in time to see the sphinx pouncing back on him.

"I guess you can't teach a cat new tricks," Danny said as he deftly flew out of the way. Failing to remember his surroundings, he collided with the wall just as the sphinx sailed past him. One of her claws cleanly sliced through Danny's shoulder, producing a sharp yell from the ghost boy. Having to fight in a hallway was hard to do. He had absolutely no space to let loose. It was like being stuck in one, long box.

Spinning around to face his foe, Danny gasped when the torch was put out and the whole corridor plunged into complete darkness. Now the ghost boy couldn't see anything, especially the sphinx that was sure to be lurking about. He was sure he could take the guardian down naturally, but now things had changed drastically. How could he fight someone who he couldn't see?

A shiver went down Danny's spine when he heard a harsh laugh from out of the darkness that had engulfed him. "I can sense your fear, young one," the sphinx taunted him. "I do not even have to see you to know exactly where you are. I will enjoy this kill."

_Whack!_

Out of nowhere, a paw slammed into the back of Danny's head. Vision blurring, the teen was forced to the ground. Thinking fast, Danny rolled to his back and blasted an ectoplasm energy ball blindly upward. The move proved to be wise. The sphinx caught the energy in the chest and sent her sprawling backwards with a roar of pain and hatred. Then the hall seemed to suck the green light from the blast away and paint the world black again.

"I don't have time for this," Danny told the sphinx. He let one of his hands hold onto another energy ball to give him some light. The uncanny green light made the room look like he was staring out of night vision goggles, but it worked. Danny could see the sphinx get to its feet and lunge for him another time.

Danny put both his hands together and shot a bigger energy ball at the feline. She swiftly dodged it and flung herself back at Danny with a hiss. The sphinx tackled Danny to the ground, grinding more razor sharp claws into his shoulders. Danny pushed her off him as he rolled back to his feet. He flung an energy ball down the hallway, lighting the place up in green again.

It was all Danny needed. He got the sphinx's location just before the green faded away to black. Eyes glowing blue, Danny focused on the spot he had seen the sphinx and ice rays exploded from his eyes. His aim was true, and his ice powers instantly froze the sphinx in mid leap. Smiling at his handy work, Danny examined the ice encrusted sphinx with another energy ball in his hand.

The ghost boy sucked in a breath as his brain finally noticed his painful injuries. They weren't very serious, but they sure did sting and throb for attention. The teen kicked himself for not being careful enough. If he hadn't been quick to freezing the sphinx, he could have been cut to pieces.

"That will keep you busy for a few days," Danny told the sphinx with a smirk. "Have fun, kitty. Now…for Theo. It's that kitty that I'm worried about. But where did he go?" Danny blasted off deeper into the underground halls in search for his friend, leaving the sphinx to defrost by its self.

A/N: Okay, the next chapter will tell you where Theo went. I'm warning before hand, the next chapter will be a pretty intense and graphic one, but I've started it already, and it is coming out perfectly. I'll see all you readers next Friday!


	14. Chapter 14 Branding Your Cattle

A/N: The beginning of this chapter is a bit graphic and bloody, but I'm sure its no big deal. I've written more bloody scenes in the past. Thank you so much for all those reviews on the last chapter! You readers are awesome! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: In this chapter, I own all characters except for Danny.

Chapter 14 Branding Your Cattle

Feeling like a fish suddenly caught by a fisherman, Theo was teleported to another area. As soon as he and his captor had feet planted in the new room, Theo was thrown across it as if he was a limp doll. The force of the throw was so strong, Theo couldn't control his landing. The demigod roughly landed on his back and flipped to a stop on his stomach.

"Who do you think I am?" Ra's haunting voice loudly echoed throughout the dark room. Theo looked up as every torch in the room blasted to life from Ra's power. The room crackled and hissed as the fire of the torches seemed to roar ablaze. The room was a big tomb, probably a great pharaoh's or even Khufu's. The ceiling was high and held up by tall, reinforcing pillars that ran down in two lines from a door on one side of the room to another on the other side.

Close to the ceiling was a small box opening that was 5 by 5 inches. It went straight through the pyramid, aimed for the sky. The Egyptians had built the pyramid so it was directly under a set of important star formations. The opening was for the pharaoh to pass through to become a star himself for when he died. Right now a small strip of sunlight shown through it. Theo's stomach sank is despair.

Theo spotted Ra walking toward him from where he had been standing in that one place of sunlight. Struggling to his feet, Theo didn't dare move his gaze off Ra. The god was frowning deeply, his eyes narrowed in anger. Theo could literally feel the power of that rage in the air around him. Fear overwhelmed the teen. He couldn't seem to get to his feet fast enough to get away from Ra. It was like his brain had just shut down.

Ra grabbed the front of Theo's toga, raised him up with one arm, and then kneed the boy in the stomach. Theo winced as the air was fiercely forced out of him. Ra didn't give the devastated teen time to regain a breath as he brutally pushed Theo foreword and into a wall about a yard away.

The back of Theo's head collided with the stone wall first. The harsh impact sent an explosion of kaleidoscope colors across his already blurred vision. Slumping to the floor, Theo desperately sucked in air. He didn't even get the chance to see Ra advance on him. The god placed a hand on Theo's forehead and relentlessly poured his power into the boy.

Searing hot pain enveloped every one of Theo's limbs. The demigod let out a painful cry as he endured the agony. When Ra took his hand away, Theo felt like all his energy had been zapped out of him, sucked dry from Ra's simple touch. All Theo could do was glower up at his enemy, silently hating the man's guts, waiting for the next installment of hurt.

"Do you think this is a game?" Ra growled down at the boy at his feet. The god loomed over the defenseless demigod, his height alone dominating over the situation. "Did you think you could just simply play me? Did you honestly believe you could escape by hiding out in a pyramid? Did you think I was that stupid? Answer me!"

Theo didn't answer. Striking out any way he could, the demigod kicked at one of Ra's legs. The boy was too slow, though. Ra saw the attack coming before Theo even had thought of it. The god brought his leg up that Theo was trying to kick and violently rammed his knee into Theo's chin. Theo squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to let the threatening tears to run free. Pitilessly, Ra ground the boy's head against the stone wall till it was stained red.

"You will find your place as a demigod either now or down the road, under my power," Ra hissed loathingly into Theo face. "You _will_ crumble! It's better for you now to get that into your thick skull! You _are_ breakable!"

Theo opened his eyes and glared cruelly back at Ra, his anger silent and deadly. Surprisingly fast, Theo whipped out his dagger, aiming to plunge it deep into the god's head that was inches away from his own. "No!" he screamed as Ra caught his wrist just as the blade's tip was at the god's temple. "No!" Theo screamed again, knowing the harsh punishment for his slowness.

"How long will it take for you to learn?" Ra asked Theo, holding back his anger and letting the words spill out in controlled calmness. For a moment he let the suspense hang precariously in the highlighted air between them. Theo's breaths were heavy with fear as his heart thumped wildly in his ears. He'd rather die than be under Ra.

Still holding onto Theo's wrist with the hand holding the dagger, Ra wrapped a hand around Theo's throat and hauled him off his feet. He slammed Theo's body against a pillar, the force making Theo regretfully drop his dagger. Ra tightened his grip on the throat, blocking the windpipe and suffocating the boy. Just before Theo was able to pass out, Ra released him and watched him fall to the floor.

Gasping and choking for air, Theo got to his hands and knees. Every intake of a breath hurt. He didn't have a chance at resistance as Ra kicked him onto his back and then sat on the teen's stomach. With one hand, Ra pinned Theo's wrists above his head. His right hand held the dagger. The cold blade glittered a brilliant orange in the light of the torches.

"Let's see," Ra pretended to think innocently, "How can I show the world, including yourself, that you belong to me?" Smiling evilly, Ra lightly traced the sharp blade across Theo's heaving chest. "Branding cattle has always been such an inventive idea. It keeps large farms peaceful. Each farmer knows exactly which cow belongs to whom. I've heard the process is very painful, though. So tell me if this hurts."

Ra let Theo's hands go and placed his finger's on the boy's chin to keep his head steady. Just as Theo was ready to punch Ra in the face, the god poured out some power through his fingertips, the pain quickly making the demigod submit. With the dagger, Ra slowly started to pierce the thin skin in Theo's left cat ear, carving out the symbol of his status.

Theo let out a painful cry as Ra finished his act by making the blade searing hot to go back and trace the open wounds to make them permanent. The process only took two minutes, but it felt like eternity to Theo. His left ear surged with pain, enough to bring the boy close to tears again.

When he was done, Ra whispered into the branded ear, "You are mine now."

Something in Theo snapped. Those words were like the last strike. The anger and pain that had been steadily boiling deep inside of him was finally released. A power of his own rolled out of Theo, hitting Ra's power full throttle. The god gave a shout of alarm as he was thrown backwards, seemingly pushed by an invisible force. Ra stared at Theo with confusion and wonder now. What had happened?

Struggling to his feet, Theo could feel something newly discovered in him. It was something deadly yet incredibly free feeling. Taking a few ragged breaths to stable himself, Theo touched his burning ear that Ra had branded. Hot, sticky blood dripped slowly to the stone floor. Theo traced the symbol with his fingers to see what it was.

It was the Eye of Ra.

"I'm nobody's," Theo said darkly to Ra once he realized what the symbol was. His whole body felt bruised and broken. It was hard to even stand at that moment, but Theo kept his ground. As Ra started to walk over to him, Theo let his power flow down his arms.

Just as Theo's threatening gaze hit Ra's, fire exploded from the demigod's hands. Ra stopped in his tracks, stunned at the sight. Theo grinned wickedly as he looked at his hands that were engulfed in flame. This was way better than that messily old spark he used to produce! He almost laughed when he wished Danny was there to see it. Where was Danny? Theo almost had forgotten about his friend. In times of panic, it was hard to keep track of things.

"Where were we?" Theo asked Ra. "You were saying I was yours, that's right! I'd have to say I disagree with that one. Because if I was yours, I wouldn't kick your sorry butt! For example…" Grinning, Theo pushed both his palms foreword. A blast of flame shot out of his hands, catching the god in the chest.

Ra stumbled backwards with his eyes going wide in shock. Since when did Theo have fire powers? The demigod hadn't gotten a trainer when he lived in Egypt. And no Greek sphinx had fire powers. The ability must have had been recently sparked to life from an over intake of power. Ra frowned when he realized it was his own power that had ignited Theo's fire ability. How ironic was that?

"So that is how you want to play, Theo?" Ra asked, flashing the kid his own evil grin. "You should know by now that messing with fire is a dangerous tactic. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be pleading to be my slave." As he said this, both Ra's hands ignited into flames just like Theo's. The two adversaries grinned at each other. The torches in the room wavered and sparked as the two powers in the room strove for dominance.

Simultaneously, the two attacked. The blood from Theo's branded ear splattered across the stone floor as he advanced toward his opponent. He didn't know it till now, but this was his moment. This fight, this confrontation, was either going to make or break him. He did not know if he was ready for it or not.

Ra struck first with a swipe of his hand, fire blazing outward with the motion. Theo sprung easily over it, his feline genes successfully doing their job. His feet hit the ceiling, and he rebounded off the stone right above Ra's head. The god had to jump out of the way to avoid having Theo land on him. The moment Theo landed, Ra blasted a stream of fire right at the demigod.

Theo crossed his arms in front of his face just in time to block the attack. The force pushed him back a few feet, but no damage was done. As soon as the blast was finished, the two enemies ran at each other. Ra went to touch Theo, aiming to knock the teen out before the demigod did any damage. Theo brought his hands up to blast a torrent of fire into Ra's face. They ended up interlocking fingers and pushing off the other's hands.

The power of the two was slammed against each other as soon as they made contact. Theo could feel his power struggle against Ra's relentless pushing of his own power. Even though the powers were invisible to some eyes, someone could clearly feel the forces fighting for supremacy between these two. Theo grunted as he willed to pour more power out to push back against Ra's.

"You're going to have to do more than that, boy," Ra laughed into Theo's sweat laden face. His sick grin widening, Ra pushed Theo back a few steps. Theo felt like he was easily being over powered. Face grave, he hastily racked his brain for a solution.

"Have fun!" Theo shouted back at Ra before blasting out a great amount of unstable energy. Theo grinned as the powers exploded between them, sending both flying in opposite directions. Theo violently hit the far wall, back first. By his gasp of pain on impact, Ra clearly saw that Theo was hurt. Being a god, Ra was far from being too damaged by just hitting a wall. He was surprised that after so much beating that Theo was able to stand back up. But the demigod was persistent. Ra would give him that.

"You foolish demigod," Ra growled in anger. Theo greedily sucked in air as he listened to Ra from across the room. The teen knew he had little energy left to fight with. Every breath was a struggle, and his limbs ached. "All this is a pointless inconvenience to me," Ra said. "This will only make your punishment more painful."

Theo ran at Ra. The god frowned before rushing forward as well. They managed to take two hasty steps before something phased through the ground in the middle of the room. Danny screamed in alarm just as he threw up an energy field to protect himself from the oncoming adversaries. Wincing, Danny listened as both of them slammed face first into his shield.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Danny asked unknowingly as he looked back and forth between Theo and Ra.

Theo sat up with a moan, rubbing his crazily spinning head. He had lost a lot of blood. A blow to the head was like a sledge hammer to his brain. From where he sat on the floor, Theo looked dizzily up at Danny with confusion at first. "Danny!" he shouted in surprise once he realized who was standing there.

"That would be me," Danny answered. He was relieved to find Theo, but the state the demigod was in troubled Danny even more. It was obvious that the dude had gone through a brutal beating from Ra. The blood encrusted left ear was enough proof.

"Behind you!" Theo warned Danny suddenly.

Spinning around, Danny acted fast at creating another energy shield to protect himself. He smiled slightly when seeing a very infuriated Ra who had just shot a blast of something at him. The white energy still swirled around Ra's outstretched hand. Danny guessed it was what had shorted out his powers a few hours before. Thankfully the shield had blocked it all. The last thing Danny needed was to turn human again.

"What are you doing here?" Theo demanded. The demigod got to his feet, breathing heavily. Danny could see the pain Theo was going through, but he didn't help his friend to his feet because he was busy keeping the shield up. "I was about to take Ra down! You just screwed up everything!" Theo yelled the moment he was on his feet.

Danny raised an eyebrow, speechless for once in his life.

"Put this shield down so we can finish this battle," Theo commanded.

"I'm sorry," Danny growled back, "I didn't know you wanted to get yourself killed. Look at yourself, dude. You aren't going to last long. I leave you alone for five minutes and you almost get yourself killed. Jeez, and I thought I was the stupid one."

Theo opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't deny the logic in Danny's words. The height of the battle had clouded his mind. He had been so ready to throw himself into a fight he knew he couldn't win. But now he just wanted to get out of there and rest. There were more important things to do than fight Ra at the moment. Ra was a god. He'd be around for the rest of Theo's life. They could pick this fight up in a couple of years.

"Let's get out of here," Theo sighed. He glanced over to the cut out in the wall that went to the outside. He smiled slyly when noticing that the patch of sunlight was gone on the floor. The sun outside had set enough to not be able to pass through the small opening. That meant Ra would be stuck in the pyramid till the next day.

Theo walked over to the edge of the green energy shield and said emotionlessly to the scowling Ra on the other side, "We'll finish this later." Ra only growled back.

"Okay, kitty cat, let's leave," Danny said with a smirk. "This place gives me the creeps, and Ra looks like he wants both our heads served on a silver platter. I'm not one to complain, but I don't think I'd like being headless."

"Call me kitty cat again and I'll turn you into a crisp!" Theo hissed, his raised fist bursting into a heated flame to match his tone.

Danny's eyes widened as he stared silently at Theo's flaming hand. The ghost boy grabbed Theo's wrist while saying, "We'll talk about this after we get out of Egypt. I'm scaring myself when I say that I miss Greece and its' own crazy gods and goddesses." He turned to Ra and waved goodbye while saying, "Hopefully I won't see ya later. Don't suffer from a heat stroke, man. Oh! And get a cat. They serve as much better pets than Theo, here."

With those final words of wisdom, Danny turned intangible and shot through the ceiling of the tomb before Ra could protest their escape with actions. Soon, the boys were soaring above the large pyramid which had become Ra's own trap. With a red dazzling sunset working its way on the horizon, Danny flew toward Greece at a steady pace.

Looking down at Theo, Danny smiled slightly when seeing the half sphinx glancing back at Egypt with a secret grin on his lips. Danny was relieved to see Theo in good mental condition, especially after his whole skirmish with Ra. Sure; the guy looked like a punching bag at the moment, but at least his spirit wasn't lost in the fight. Danny had to admit that the demigod was strong.

Leaving the other in their own thoughts, the boys traveled all night across the ocean in silence. They had to get to Greece before sunrise, which was hard for Danny to do because he was so worn out from his battles that day. Fatigue threatened a few times to take Danny down, but the promise of rest at the destination drove him along. Theo couldn't sleep either, because that meant he would take a head dive into the ocean. He had to keep awake to hold onto Danny's wrists. It was a very long night for the both of them.

Land appeared on the dark horizon before the sun came up. The second Danny dropped Theo to the sandy, deserted beach, the demigod was lights out. Turning back into his human form, Danny fell back toward the earth. Like Theo, he was out as soon as his cheek hit the soft sand.

-That Afternoon-

"Hello? Get up, you mortals! Don't make me pour water on your faces! Get up!"

Both Danny and Theo struggled out of the comforts of dream world. Moaning in pain of their aches, the boys lifted their heads up to see who was yelling annoyingly at them. Harsh rays of sunlight blasted into their groggy, sleep laden eyes as they opened them. They barely reacted when they saw Hermes standing over them with his hands crossed in front of him. They blinked silently up at him before resting their heads back on the sand.

Hermes raised an eyebrow in amusement and wonder. He bent down so he was closer to the boys. "Jeez, it looks like both of you guys have been through a lot," the god observed the obvious. As he said this, he tapped on their heads to force them to a more wakeful state.

It was then that he noticed the Eye of Ra sketched in blood and burns on Theo's ear. He grabbed the tired demigod's ear and looked at his closely with his eyes narrowing. Theo gasped in pain, quickly becoming awake. To prevent it from hurting anymore, Theo let Hermes handle his ear in wincing quietness.

"I didn't know Ra gave his banished demigods going away gifts," Hermes said to Theo coolly.

"I didn't mean to get us caught by Ra," Theo returned with the same tone as the god's. "We escaped, that's all that matters…right?"

The question hung precariously in the air. Danny stayed quiet as Hermes studied Theo's face, still holding onto his ear. A hard expression was on Hermes's sharp features as he pondered this. He could easily tell the Greek gods that Theo had been over to Egypt, which was illegal on a banished demigod's part. The scar Ra gave Theo was enough proof for anyone to know where the kid had been recently. But if the demigod had been forced into returning to his homeland, it could be okay. It depended on what the god thought.

"You guys look close to joining those in the Underworld," Hermes said softly, releasing Theo's ear. "I'll let this one slide." A relieved smile washed over Theo's face when hearing this. Hermes laughed before saying, "I haven't ever seen you smile before. Any other new things you brought from Egypt that I should know about?"

"Just a lot of scars and bruises," Danny answered with a chuckle. Groaning, he and Theo sat up. Danny's shoulders where that sphinx had dug her claws into him were burning and throbbing. Theo was suffering from a stinging ear and a blinding migraine from when his head had hit and been ground into that wall. Hermes frowned when seeing these bloody, painful wounds.

"I advise taking a day off from this quest of yours," Hermes suggested. He put a hand in between the boys and waved it over the sand. Bandages and ointment appeared in the spot his hand used to be. "As the god of medicine and health, I can't let you two go any farther with those wounds. Fix yourselves up before taking a swing at the next god or goddess."

"Oh, thanks," Danny said with some disbelief in his voice. Hermes was a strange god to him. Danny used to think of him as some conniving, scheming thief. But now Hermes was showing a different side of himself. He wasn't like Dionysus or Demeter, who was just out to destroy others' lives. Hermes was more complex than that.

Theo opened his mouth to say something, but Hermes got there first. He smirked as he said, "Let me guess, Theo, you want to know why I'm here. I'm not as oblivious as you think I am." Theo's only response was a frown, so Hermes continued.

The god stood back up and placed his hands behind his back, clearing his throat. Danny realized the guy always did that before giving them a message from the other gods. Hermes recited his message by saying, "The god Ares and goddess Aphrodite request their symbols right away. They say to meet them a few miles from here. Also, they have a surprise for Danny."

"Surprise for me?" Danny asked in puzzlement. "But I haven't ever met those two. How do they even know my name?"

"Do you know a Plasmius?" Hermes asked.

Danny's blood boiled at the name being mentioned. "That stupid fruit loop!" Danny growled in disgust. "What is _he_ doing here? He needs a life!"

Hermes laughed at Danny's spiteful reaction. "I'd take that as a yes," he said. "Well, he left three of your friends in the care of Ares and Aphrodite. I know that was meant to be a surprise, but I never liked surprises. Plus, you two need all the information you guys can get. I guess I feel extra gracious today. Consider yourselves lucky."

"Wait! They have my friends?" Danny asked in alarm, but Hermes was already gone. The boy frowned when realizing Hermes had vanished like he always liked to do. He turned to Theo to see his friend's reaction. "What are you doing?" he asked when seeing Theo rubbing something on his ear.

"We need to be in better condition if we want to get your friends back," Theo answered, holding up the bowl of ointment for Danny to see. "I'm patching up this ear so the next god we see won't jump to conclusions. I'm gonna kill Ra for this. You need to patch up your own wounds. What happened, exactly?"

"I bumped into a sphinx," Danny said. He picked up his own ointment and started to rub in onto his scars. The stinging died down as he did so. "I guess I should have been more careful, huh?"

Theo shrugged. "Sphinxes have always been quick warriors. You were bound to get hurt from one," he said casually. Danny glanced up at him, surprised by the guy's words. Theo stared out at the tranquil waves lapping at their feet before looking over to Danny. "Um…thanks for saving me again. I'm…grateful to have you with me on this mission," Theo said hesitantly.

"Grateful now, huh?" Danny asked jokingly. "It took you awhile."

Theo smirked back. He grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it into Danny's smiling face. "Don't make me change my mind," Theo teased back. He laughed as Danny choked and wheezed on the sand.

A/N: The next chapter will finally bring in Sam and Tucker. I'm gonna miss having the fighting duo of Theo and Danny, but I'll get over it. Hope you guys liked the chapter. Thanks for reading and please review! I'll be back next Friday!


	15. Chapter 15 Three Rounds Till Death

A/N: Let me explain my absence last week. Since my computer was going slow, I emailed myself this chapter (which took a half and hour) so I could work on it on my mom's computer. After it was finished that Friday morning, I left for a few hours to watch something on TV before spell checking it. When I came back, the last half the chapter I had spent days on had vanished. Yeah, I wanted to cry! On Saturday I got my computer fixed, so I had to start all over on the second half of the chapter. That's my luck. Sorry you readers had to be at the end of it. Anywho, here is my chapter!

Disclaimer: This never gets old. I don't own Danny Phantom or its characters!

Chapter 15 Three Rounds Till Death

Danny woke up from a three hour nap late that night to some harsh whispering. He saw Theo wasn't sleeping beside him. This forced Danny fully awake with distress on his face as he looked over to where he was hearing the whispering, flinging himself up into a sitting position. The flash of panic quickly went away as he saw that Theo was the one making all the ruckus.

Theo was thigh deep in the freezing cold Mediterranean Sea waters. The water and waves rushing around the teen was steaming slightly, this mist making Theo look like an aggravated apparition to Danny. The demigod growled as he tried to control his new fire powers. At times they didn't work at all to his flustered emotions. Other times, his hands would explode with fire, causing the boy to shout in alarm and shove them into the water to try and repeat the process.

"You ever had a power before?" Danny asked as he got to his feet in the sand. He transformed into a ghost with a flash of bright light. Theo looked up from his practice and shook his head no. Danny chuckled. The teen joined the other in the water, shivering at the shock of the cold liquid as it washed over his knees. He waded out to where Theo was while saying, "I thought so. You look clueless about controlling your power."

"I just got this fire power a day ago," Theo stated to defend his pride. "How should I know how to use it so soon? How long did it take you to master your powers?"

"Months," Danny answered truthfully, "But that was me juggling at least three at a time."

"But you had them since birth," Theo said with the roll of his brown eyes.

"I got them only a year and a half ago," Danny corrected quickly. Theo raised an eyebrow in surprise and skepticism, but he kept silent. He and Danny had gone through a lot over the past week. The demigod was done arguing and disagreeing with the other teen.

Danny raised his right hand to their eye level and let the hidden ectoplasm in him smoothly flow through that hand for both of them to see. The green illumination from his hand tinted the mist to make it even more eerie than what it had been before. With the combination of the half moon shining off the swirling sea waters and the green energy between them, Danny could now clearly see his friend's face. It was then that he saw how much Theo had changed. The worry and bitterness was gone from his eyes. It was like a weight had been lifted off the demigod's shoulders.

"Now, I've never taught somehow how to use their powers, but I'll say you are a special case," Danny said with a grin. Theo pretended to be offended and crossed his arms in front of him with a scowl. "It seems like you don't understand the flow of your powers," Danny stated. "I had the same problem. Just think of it this way. Your arms are like a river system. There are different dams holding the river back, the river being your power. In your mind, open one of the dams."

Theo held up his right hand and closed his eyes to concentrate. A few moments later his hand ignited into a small, whimsy flame that fought the air currents to stay alive. "Who would have guessed," Theo said with a smile. "You _are_ a good teacher."

"Now, open another dam," Danny ordered.

The next one took a few minutes to get down. But Theo quickly picked up on the river and dam trick. He was still novice with his power, but he was glad to know how to use it when he needed to. Danny told him that emotions could be a factor to controlling the power as well, and that it would take a few months to master the connection between the two.

When they were done with the small lesson, the boys sat back on the beach. They had spent the whole day either sleeping or sitting there silently. Danny was beginning to get restless again. He noticed that Theo was the same. The half sphinx's ears were twisting to catch any sound it could with his tail swooshing wildly behind him. Those were the obvious signs the feline boy was back to his normal paranoid self again.

"When do we leave?" Danny asked suddenly, his voice louder and more urgent than he meant it to. Theo jumped at the rude sound and spun his head away from the moon to look at Danny. "I mean," Danny explained himself in a rush of words, "These are my friends that are in danger. I don't like sitting here doing nothing when I can be out there rescuing them."

"We will make one minor detour so we can have you prepared to fight Ares," Theo said calmly.

"I'm not going to fight that god," Danny protested. "Battling the god of war is not on my to-do list."

Theo smirked back at him, that wild look in his eyes again. Danny frowned. He didn't like that look. It usually meant the demigod had some crazy scheme or plan plotted crudely out in his head. Seriously, the teen didn't know the meaning of careful planning.

"I don't like that look, Theo," Danny warned his friend in a firm voice. "I am not doing something stupid again like hanging out in a pyramid all day. Look where that one got us. I got attacked by a sphinx while you almost got killed by Ra."

"Calm down, ghost boy," Theo said smoothly, that evil glint never leaving his eyes. "You and your friends will be fine if you just stick to my new plan."

"Yep," Danny said with a sigh, "We're all going to die."

-The Day Before-

Keeping the thick straw hat tilted to keep his eyes in the shadows, Rhodes walked briskly down a grassy hill toward the forest. He was going on a walk, that's what the small boy had told his substitute uncle. The young boy was very thin and short, like most his age. But other than that, Rhodes was different than the others. With a soft, angel-like face with piercing violet eyes and long lashes, the boy looked more pretty than manly.

The wind rushed past the small boy of maybe ten or eleven, and Rhodes quickly held onto his straw hat and wrapped the other arm around his wind blown toga to prevent it from revealing any more skin than what it did already. The breeze made the tall grass on the hill swirl in mock ocean waves, creating a green sea for Rhodes to walk through. The bugs on that late spring day were buzzing and chirping with happiness of the clear weather.

Looking wearily over his shoulder, Rhodes made sure no one was watching him as he started to run toward the forest a few yards away. There was no way he was going to stay as his uncle's performing assistant! The day had come for him to dare to make his great escape and leave the traveling performers behind. Maybe then it would be the time to drop his disguise and be normal for once. But in these times, it was better to put on this comforting mask.

The little boy plunged into the forest without hesitation. Heart pounding, Rhodes ran through the jumble of tree trunks and over twigs and fallen leaves with hopes flying high along with fear threatening to ruin the free feeling experience. Sweat started to pour down his forehead and his breaths were becoming shallow, but the boy refused to take off the straw hat and leave it behind.

Suddenly a bright light flashed in front of Rhodes. The kid screamed like a girl as he tried to skid to a stop a little too late. He bumped right into someone as the person appeared from the portal of light. The person Rhodes slammed into was strong enough to keep from falling down. The force of the hit sent Rhodes to his butt, though.

"What's this?" the person asked in a snide voice as he bent down to examine the kid who had knocked into him. Rhodes was terror stricken with wide, violet eyes of fright. He gasped in fear as the mystery man stuck his face into his. The man looked pure evil, with pale skin, fangs, wild black hair, and blood red eyes. He looked like a ghost! A god maybe!

Panic had gripped Rhodes's heart in its relentless, cold hand, incasing it in ice from the second his eyes met Vlad's narrowed red ones. Smiling wickedly back at the boy, Vlad looked Rhodes up and down as if sizing him up for a pig contest at the local fair. By the looks of things, the ghost man liked what he saw.

"You will do perfectly as a hostage, my dear child," Vlad told Rhodes. "Daniel's stupid little friends are sure to be following me. They won't dare interfere if I have a little insurance." Standing up sharply, Vlad grabbed the boy's right wrist and yanked him to his feet. With a loud scream, Rhodes tried to pull free and run away.

"Calm down, you little brat!" Vlad ordered the child. To prevent another scream, Vlad pulled Rhodes close to him and slapped a green slab of ectoplasm goo across the boy's mouth. Rhodes screamed into it, but only muffled incoherent words came out. Vlad chuckled at the sight.

"You know, violet eyes had always meant the person was born with magical powers in these days," Vlad scoffed into Rhodes's face, noticing the color of his eyes for the first time. Vlad, being a history buff and all, found some interest in this. "Good thing you're only a little boy and wouldn't know the first thing about magic," Vlad muttered. He cruelly laughed again as Rhodes continued to shriek into his gag.

-Theo and Danny-

Danny could feel his pulse quicken and his stomach twist into a bitter knot as he watched Ares wildly swing a double bladed axe through the air from where he and Theo were hiding behind a small hill yards away. The battle yell that came from the god echoed out from his place in the middle of the field, making birds and small animals run, avoiding the meadow next to the woods completely. It only took the quick second to see that the man with the axe was an excellent and brutal fighter. That only put a stale taste in the ghost boy's dry mouth.

"No way, dude!" Danny whispered with the shake of his head. "No way."

Theo's ears flattened against his head. "Its not like you have to beat or kill him," Theo whispered urgently back. "Hey, I didn't get Hephaestus to give me his best sword for free just for you to chicken out on me," Theo said. "Now, distract the god while I go find and rescue your friends."

"Why can't you fight him?" Danny asked for the hundredth time that day.

"I have no time for this, Danny!" Theo hissed back. "He doesn't want to fight me. He wants you, get it? And he will only fight you with a sword or other weapon because it is the traditional way. If you go out there all fists-a-blazing, he's gonna just kill you off because he'll see you as a threat. Play his game till your friends are safe."

"What if he gets in a lucky swing and slices my head off?" Danny asked with wide eyes of horror.

Theo grabbed the front of Danny's toga and yanked him close so that they were face to face, their noses close to touching. "No more games, Danny," Theo whispered harshly into Danny's face. His tone was rough and cruel, clearly indicating that the feline teen was irritated. "I'm not arguing with you anymore," Theo continued. "Now go out and fight with Ares before I get angry enough to set you on fire! Now!"

"You don't have very much patience, do you, sphinxy?" Danny asked with a wicked grin, knowing the reaction Theo would give him before the cat boy heard the words. Just as Theo's fiery fist collided with Danny's palm, the ghost boy turned on his ice powers. The boys glared dangerously at each other as their opposite powers pushed against each other for dominance.

"This is stupid!" Theo hissed at Danny as he gave up on the stare down and took his hand away. He looked at his freezing cold hand for a second; resisting the urge to light it back on fire to get rid of the frost that Danny had created on it.

It was clear that Danny didn't trust Theo enough to go put his life fully on the line. Theo knew no words of his own would convince or deceive Danny into fighting Ares for only a few minutes. And there was no way Theo could physically force Danny onto that grassy playing field. Danny was just too strong. Theo never liked changing his plan because someone didn't like it. It was like admitting defeat. And the boy hated to lose.

"Fine, ghost boy," Theo said with a tight smile. He snatched the magical sack away from Danny, pulled out Ares' spear, and then tied the end of the sack to his own toga's new belt that held a pouch and a scabbard for his dagger. Danny watched him in confusion and suspicion. His eyes lit up when he saw Theo pull out a handful of metal sticks from the pouch.

"I didn't know this time period had sparklers," Danny said once he recognized the objects.

"It doesn't," Theo said with a cruel smile.

"Wait…what…how?" Danny asked, now even more confused about what Theo was doing.

"You're gonna hate me for this, dude," Theo said, moving and talking quickly so Danny couldn't guess his secret motive. He took the spear, raised it up, and shoved it deeply into the earth. "But you kind of brought it upon your stupid self," he said while holding up one of the sparklers so Danny could see it. The demigod snapped his fingers, setting America's Fourth of July's greatest past time off into wild sparks. He put the non burning end of the sparkler into the ground at the top of the hill.

"That's gonna alert Ares over to us!" Danny whispered his alarm loudly. His hand tightened around his sword hilt as his slow burning fear rose slightly. He had a new belt too. It only had a scabbard for his new sword from Hephaestus.

"Remember, don't do any funky ghost powered stuff while I'm gone," Theo said quietly before taking off in a sprint down the hill and into the depths of the forest. Danny scrambled to his feet to follow him, not ready to fight Ares anytime soon. But somehow he just couldn't get to his feet. Something was keeping him back. Danny looked down and saw that the spear in the ground went straight through the end of his toga. He was stuck!

"I hate him!" Danny hissed in pure anger.

A large, dark shadow consuming his own hinted to Danny that he needed to get over his anger and move. He spun around with a small gasp to see the god standing on top of the hill. The man was huge, covered from head to foot with bulging and toned muscles. He had a square-like head with a short, dark brown beard. His same colored hair was fit neatly into the man's metal helmet. The god also had on light battle armor.

But what really stood out with the god were his black eyes. They reminded him of Ra's eyes. They were set on a scar laden face with a sick grin. They bore down into Danny, instantly sizing up its caught prey with an evil delight in them. Ares was ready to fight and kill.

"I hate him!" Danny said to himself again as he pulled on his toga where it was stuck. The moment he was free, Ares had an axe blade cutting air. Danny rolled out of the way at the last second. The battle would have ended right then and there if Danny hadn't brought his sword up just in time to block the next swing from Ares. The hit was so hard it sent Danny rolling down the hill.

Hissing in pain, Danny landed roughly on his back at the bottom of the hill. He gave a sharp yell of fright when seeing Ares coming in for another swipe of his axe. The teen jumped to his feet, closely avoiding the downward swing of the axe. Fear for his life clouded the boy's usually clear thoughts in mid battle. He needed to get his head together. If only he had a small break to catch his breath.

Ares' moves were strong and fast for his size. Danny barely had time to see an attack coming and block it. It seemed like they were fighting for hours when finally Ares brought up a leg after a simple swing and shoved it into Danny's exposed chest. The boy was soon on his butt with an axe's sharp blade placed under his chin.

The god swung his head back and laughed at Danny's fearful expression. Ares took the blade away and stepped back from Danny with that evil grin never leaving his face. Danny stared back up at the god, breathing hard and sweating from the hard work, but besides that, in perfectly good shape.

"You lose round one, pathetic demigod," Ares barked down at Danny. The god's voice was naturally rough and demanding. "After three rounds, I will kill you by slicing off your weak head. And then I will spill your blood all over this hill as a reminder to the humans who the god of war is. Victory will soon be mine!"

"Round one?" Danny asked, still back on the part that saved his life.

"Yes," Ares said quickly. "I delayed your death. That is all. It just makes the battle sweeter when I spill your blood at the end."

"Ah…ew," Danny pointed out. "Seriously, that's just gross. And I thought Skulker and his whole you-will-be-a-pelt-on-my-wall thing was sick."

"That is a great idea!" Ares said with excitement. "But I don't think you will deserve to be displayed."

Danny got to his feet, thoroughly disgusted at this point. Now that the fear had been pushed back enough to let him think, Danny felt like he could keep his head on for the next few minutes. So far he hadn't even been wounded, so that meant he was fast enough to dodge most attacks. And the sword Hephaestus had given him as a gift for returning the god his symbol was working beautiful. He guessed he should have expected that from the blacksmith god.

"I'm gonna barf if you don't stop talking," Danny told the god, half seriously. "When does round two start?"

"Don't be so urgent, pitiable one," Ares said highly. "Don't you want to live for a few more minutes?"

Danny's eyes narrowed in anger. "Don't mock me!" he snapped back.

Ares threw his head back again and roared with laughter. Danny took up a fighting stance, his rage for this god steadily boiling inside of him at an unnaturally high rate. Ares leaned forward and asked Danny, "Is the pathetic little demigod mad that he can't beat me? I would feel pity if I actually had some." He then spat a good sized ball of spit at Danny's feet.

Danny growled. Then suddenly he was running at Ares. This new found anger blinded him. The next few seconds were just a blur to the boy. He attacked, no hesitation, he missed, and then there was pain. When the anger finally died away, Danny found himself dropping to his knees and gripping his left arm.

When he took his hand away from the painful wound on his arm, Danny saw his hand covered with his own warm blood. The teen bit his lower lip to keep in a scream. In all his life of ghost fighting, he'd never gotten a wound this bloody or painful. His whole left arm felt like it was on fire as blood quickly flowed down it and stained the grassy field.

"I win round two," Ares said from where he was standing in front of Danny. The boy looked up from where he was dizzily watching his blood flow down his arm. Ares smiled cruelly back down at him before saying, "That was a technique of mine, pathetic boy. I find something that angers you and I make it explode. It's part of my powers of being the god of war. So when that anger explodes, you are blinded by it till you feel pain, sometimes that's not even enough to stop some people. You must be under a lot of pain then."

Danny looked back down at the stained grass under him. He wasn't ready for this fight. Theo had told him he was, but his friend was wrong. He only had one more round and then he would be killed. It didn't help that he was seriously wounded too. Right now he had very little options, most of them ending in death. What was he going to do?

"Let's make this a fair fight for the last round," Danny said as he glared up at Ares. With difficulty, the teen got to his feet, his left arm limp from pain. Ares watched with curiousness as Danny swiftly morphed into his ghost form in a flash of light. His ghost powers took most of the pain in his arm away. With a bitter smile, Danny flexed his bloody arm.

"No…no use of powers," Ares growled back at Danny. He lifted his axe up to cut Danny down right then and there, true to what Theo had predicted. So at least the half sphinx was somewhat honest.

"But you used your power when you made me angry," Danny quickly countered. Ares shook his head no and slowly started to come closer. Danny snatched up his sword and held it steady in front of him as he hastily said, "But don't you want a hard battle? I'm sure you've had centuries with no one who comes near to you. Don't you want to work to kill me?"

Ares stopped when hearing this. "I guess I am in need of a small challenge," he said after a minute of thought. He, like a few other gods and goddesses, were not great on the gray matter. He smiled darkly before saying, "This will be fun…but sadly painful for you."

Danny took a deep breath, readying himself for the battle to come. He then grinned up at Ares and said confidently, "Bring it on, meat head."

A/N: I like my new ending better than the one that has somehow vanished. Next chapter will finally hold Sam, Tucker, Aphrodite…and the new character, Rhodes. Theo's first interaction with them will be…interesting. I can't give too much away.

And before I forget, I'm going on vacation for all of next week. My family of six will drive for 13 whole freaking hours down to Atlanta, Georgia where my aunt and uncle are. Ug. But ya for the vacation part! I'll write as much as I can while I'm there. Hopefully I'll have enough for a good sized chapter, but I might not. So I'm sorry if next week I can't update. But most likely I'll have a chapter. Thanks for reading! With any luck, I'll be here next week!


	16. Chapter 16 Bad First Impressions

A/N: Sorry for not updating last week. My family has been having some personal troubles. This past week has been rough on the whole family…and then I had writer's block at the end. But today I finally pushed through it by watching some FMA battles on Veoh to get me in the battle mood. So I gotta thank that awesome show for the fight scene at the end of this chapter. Besides that, sorry again for not updating and enjoy the extra long chapter!

Disclaimer: Sam, Tucker, and Danny are not mine! But the rest pretty much are.

Chapter 16 Bad First Impressions

Bounding through the thick forest, Theo's heart started to race. He had spent way too much time looking for Danny's friends. He was wasting time that was precious for both Danny and himself. He didn't care that he was making loud sounds as he raced back toward the clearing he had found Danny's friends in. He knew Aphrodite was somewhere around, but he believed she would have to be somewhere near where he was heading, looking after the three teens she and Ares had obtained from Vlad the day before.

Theo came to a stop at the edge of the bright clearing. His short, sweat laden fur was covered with twigs and leaves from his reckless sprint through the tight bunching of trees. Controlling his erratic breathing, Theo paused to observe the group of three bound teens. They sat with their backs against each other, bonded together by a rope to their wrists. They looked tired and hungry, but besides that they were fine.

One thing was out of place, though. Theo's eyes narrowed in suspicion as they rested upon a small boy wearing a toga and straw hat. The other two were clearly not from there, wearing their own century's style of the clothing. But this kid was definitely from the time period. Who was he? Was he a friend or foe? Hermes had called him a friend, but the god wasn't always the reliable one.

A second later Theo saw Aphrodite walk into the clearing. She sure was an intoxicating one. Theo had to fight the urge to stare at her. The goddess had that power over men. Just with one look, a guy could fall under her spell, mesmerized by her beauty. And from looks of it…Tucker was already love struck. Theo gave a knowing grin as he saw the boy practically drool over the goddess. Again, he was thankful to be an outside demigod. Her spell had little effect on him.

"Tucker, ew," Sam hissed at her friend. "Snap out of it!" There was a pause as her words were left dead in the air. "Boys are such idiots!" It was time to take action before Sam did. The girl looked ready to tear Tucker's face off as he stared dreamy eyed at Aphrodite.

The goddess completely ignored all the kids. She was in her own world, sweetly humming to herself as she gracefully glided around the kids. Her long red curls of hair gently flowed off her slender shoulders as she moved. She had porcelain skin and deep green eyes that could melt any heart that looked into them. She had pinned her robe tightly to her skin, letting her curves take shape in the smooth flowing outfit. She looked like an angel.

Theo smiled to himself. Aphrodite was in a good mood that day, which would be better for him. He had only seen her in her other, darker mood a few rare times. If the angel was in that mood, she was more like a demon than someone sent from Heaven. You didn't want to see her in that frame of mind.

"Good morning, pretty girl!" Theo exclaimed as he pushed his way into the clearing. His years on probation had taught him to treat Aphrodite like she was a pretty little girl. The woman had the mindset of a child, just less innocent when it came down to the sexual side of things.

Aphrodite spun around with a look of surprise on her features. Sam gave Theo a suspicious glare. Tucker was still awe struck by the goddess. The other boy looked at Theo, but his face was hidden in shadow, making his expression a mystery to everyone except to himself.

The goddess instantly remembered Theo. Her green eyes widened in surprise of seeing him after so many years of his absence. A smile came to her lips as she took in his muscled body. The woman slowly walked toward him as she asked with a giggle, "How's my handsome Egyptian demigod doing?"

Theo smiled slyly, knowing the underlying tone of her voice. She was trying to taunt him into her beauty spell. He had to be quick on his feet if he wanted to avoid it. Aphrodite was smart enough to know that he had plans of tricking her. Now she was trying to dupe him before he did the same to her. But she was going to have to do better than that old enchantment of hers to fool the demigod.

"I was just…passing through and thought you needed some company," Theo said slowly, picking his words wisely. He took a few steps to his right, keeping the distance between him and her at a steady three feet. If she touched him, her spell would make him as useless as Tucker.

"Aw," Aphrodite said, giving the teen a sweet smile, "You were always the charming one, Theo. What's next? Flowers? Roses have always been my favorite…but you already knew that."

It was the eye contact that started the battle. Instantly, Theo could feel her power pry at his very thoughts, imploring him to succumb to her will. Showing no weakness, Theo held his ground in his head and kept the conversation going. By now the two of them were gradually circling each other, as if a real physical skirmish was going to happen.

"Hm," Theo responded. "Roses have always been my favorite flower too. But I have something better for you."

"Oh, a present!" the goddess said, her smile changing into one of wiliness. "You're too kind."

Theo matched her grin with one of his own. From behind his back he took out a sparkler he had managed to smuggle from Danny's time period without anyone knowing. He had kept it hidden and secret for perfect times like these. With the snap of his fingers, the stick was lit and sparkled with brilliant light. It was nothing like Aphrodite had seen. Her reaction was the one Theo expected.

Her guard going down and her eyes widening, Aphrodite rushed up to Theo like a kid's first experience with the wondrous object. "Oh, Theo, it's so pretty!" she exclaimed, practically jumping up and down with excitement. Finally she couldn't take the wait for it anymore. "Give it to me!" she nearly growled at him. She yanked the sparkler away from the teen and stared at it with a delight in her eyes.

Theo backed off at this action. She had almost touched him. Recovering quickly, Theo took out another sparkler for the goddess and lit it. This time he gave it to her with a forced sweet smile. She giggled and waved both sticks now in the air. It was a comical sight to see a grown woman playing with sparklers like a little kid would.

"I have another gift for you," Theo said.

Aphrodite looked up from her play at Theo with a giant smile on her face. "You're my favorite, Theo!" she said, running to him for a hug. Theo's expression changed into one of alarm for a fleeting second. He skirted out of the way of her open arms, deftly avoiding her touch.

"You can thank me latter, pretty girl," Theo said, forcing himself to keep an even and calm voice. On the inside, his heart was beating like a drum set in a rock band. "You can find your gift in a field. Just keep walking that way." He pointed in the direction he had placed the bird cage with the dove in it, her symbol.

For a moment the goddess thought about this. She knew not to trust Theo, but his presents were just too kind and loving for her to reject. Ares had told her to guard the kids. She didn't like the job. It was boring. Ares wouldn't mind if she took a small break.

Without another word or a thank you, Aphrodite skipped off into the woods with her new sparklers in search for her other gift Theo had promised. Theo watched her go. He let out a deep sigh of relief when he couldn't see or hear her anymore. The hard part was over.

Turning to the tied up kids, Theo for the first time acknowledged that they were there. Sam looked highly suspicious of him, keeping up a perpetual look of distrust with a dagger deadly glare. Tucker was finally getting over the spell he had been under. He seemed greatly confused and slightly…disappointed. Aphrodite usually had that affect on men. The mystery kid still had his face in shadows, but Theo could see those violet eyes stare intently at him through the dark.

"What?" Theo asked them, folding his arms in front of his chest. He crushed the icy silence then by saying, "You guys all want sparklers too?"

"Where did the hott woman go?" Tucker asked. Ignoring Theo, he looked around the clearing in desperate search for the goddess of his dreams.

"He has a one track mind, doesn't he?" Theo asked Sam, slipping something of a smile to his lips.

Sam rolled her eyes at the understatement. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice having a harsh undertone.

Theo's smile faded into a small frown. "We can chat all we want after I set you guys free and give your friend the signal," he responded coldly. The bound kids all watched with devastation and slack jaws as Theo summed up a great deal of his powers. Hands fully engulfed in crackling flames, the demigod threw them above his head. The teen gave a grimace that looked more like an evil grin as he fought for control of the output of the fire. With some effort, Theo blasted a large fireball up out of the clearing for Danny to see a half a mile away. The ghost boy would arrive shortly.

"Oh, not now!" Theo hissed at himself when he realized the fire around his arms wasn't responding to him. It took all of Theo's concentration to finally get the blaze to die down and then finally be put out. He was sweating when he was done, tired from his excessive use of power.

"Holy cow!" Tucker whispered in disbelief. He and Sam seemed pretty shaken from the sight of Theo's fire powers. Their eyes were wide in both fear and shock. Sure, they had just seen him snap his fingers for a spark, but the whole fireball thing was a little too much for their minds.

But it was the mysterious kid's reaction that got most of Theo's attention. The boy didn't look surprised at all. Intrigue was the only thing Theo saw in the kid's eyes. A real kid would have either passed out or screamed bloody murder. Not this one. Theo's suspicions only deepened.

"_What_ are you?" Sam asked, pushing the earth under her with the heels of her combat boots to scoot farther away from Theo. "Are you a ghost? Are you like that woman who just left? Tell us!"

Theo pulled out his dagger, making Sam and Tucker both flinch. "Relax," Theo said with the roll of his eyes, "I'm with Danny." As he said this, the demigod worked on all three of their rope binds.

As soon as Theo was done with the job, Sam's foot suddenly shot up and managed to hit Theo under the chin. With his previous head injury, Theo didn't take well to the hit. Blacking out for a brief second, Theo limply fell to the grassy ground. He woke up quickly with a painful groan and the tip of his own dagger in his face.

"How do you know Danny?" Sam asked Theo. She was the one holding the dagger, but Theo knew she wouldn't ever hurt him. From his past adventures through the ghost zone, Theo had ended up many times in Danny's time period. He knew his friends enough to know Sam was smart and a good ghost fighter, but she would never purposely harm a stranger like him. Right now she was just being cautious and was all talk.

"Oh please," Theo said with a waning smile, "You don't think Danny could have survived this place for more than a day without a guide?"

"So you're like his guide?" Tucker asked him. "Why would he need a guide? Wait…what kind of a guide are you? You look like a Catwoman comic gone wrong." A grin crept to the boy's lips.

"Tucker," Sam scolded, but she too was having trouble keeping in that suppressed smile.

"Oh, cute," Theo said, his ears flattening in annoyance. "No wonder you two are Danny's sidekicks. You can be just as maddening as he can be."

"Sidekicks?" Tucker protested loudly.

"How do you know that we are Danny's friends?" Sam asked. Like always, she was the more practical one.

"Chit chat can be saved for later," Theo answered with a tired sigh. Striking too swiftly for Sam or Tucker to comprehend, Theo yanked the dagger out of Sam's hand. He was on his feet a moment later, rushing past the two. Catching the boy off guard, Theo roughly grabbed a fist full of the front of Rhodes's toga. The demigod forced the boy back first into a tree, the tip of his cool blade lightly resting at the kid's throat.

"If you don't mind me asking, who in Hades are you?" Theo questioned the boy he had pinned to the tree trunk.

Rhodes didn't answer at first. Sam took the action as fear on the little boy's part. "Hey! Put the kid down, cat boy!" she yelled at Theo.

"Yeah," Tucker piped in. "You're freaking him out!"

"Do you two know who this kid is?" Theo asked both of them, his voice sharp. "He could be a spy or something. He's not answering any of my questions."

"Um…no," Tucker answered truthfully. "But he's just a kid. He's harmless. Maybe if you were a little less harsh he would answer our questions."

Theo debated these words for a second, deciding to let the boy go a moment later. He didn't know what his problem was. The boy was too young to be any threat to Danny's and his mission. Why was he so suspicious? There was nothing there. And yet, there had been a spark between them on first contact. Two powers had clashed. This boy wasn't normal.

Sam pushed past Theo, giving him a smirk. Theo took it in with half infuriation, half admiration for the boldness of the girl. He watched as Sam leaned down a little so she was at the kid's eye level. She handled the situation wonderfully by saying to the boy, "Sorry that we had to drag you into this mess. Something very serious is going on, so that is why cat boy, here, was so harsh to you. We just need some basic information from you. What's your name?"

"Cat boy," Theo muttered in distaste. "Where does she get the nerve?" He glared at Tucker when he saw him chuckling at the comment.

"My name is Rhodes," the boy said in a voice that still hadn't reached puberty, making it sound like a girl's in a way. "I was running away from my uncle when someone very powerful captured me and used me to make you two stop your search for him. I…I have no where else to go." It was the truth. Sam and Tucker hadn't been sure that Vlad would kill Rhodes if they kept interfering, but they couldn't chance it when a life was on the line. That was how they got tied up in the first place.

"What kind of a name is Rhodes?" Tucker whispered to Theo.

"What kind of name is Tucker?" Theo responded with a cruel smile.

"What is your name, anyways?" Tucker asked, trying to lighten the situation.

"Theo," Theo answered absentmindedly. He leaned down to Rhodes's eye level like what Sam was doing and told the boy with a dead serious tone in his voice, "I need all the people I can get for this last stretch of our mission. I don't care if you tag along with us, kid, but I can't guarantee your safety or even your life. If you join us, you don't complain or we will take you to the first town we see and leave you there. So…are you with us?"

The boy gave Theo a sly grin from under the shadows of his straw hat. Theo returned it with one of his own. "I'm in," Rhodes said with a sharp nod. Against his better judgment, Theo accepted the kid into the group.

"Uh…what mission are you talking about?" Tucker asked Theo, deeply confused now. "We just came here to get Danny back and then leave."

Theo stood back up to face the puzzled and slightly anxious Sam and Tucker. The wheels in his head were working furiously, thinking of a million things all at once. This plan of his was going down hill…fast. Sam and Tucker were asking questions they needed to know, but time prevented them from quick answers. Rhodes had made the equation a little whacked because of Theo's suspicion for him. And Danny should have been there by now.

"Where are you, ghost boy?" Theo muttered the question to himself.

-Danny-

The first attack was barely seen and detected from Ares. Taking no chances now, the god came in with his double bladed axe held high, spilling blood his only focus. Thinking smoothly now, Danny ducked and dodged every hard hitting swing Ares threw at him. Only a few times Ares came close to hitting the boy, but Danny was right there with his sword to protect himself.

It was only this moment where Danny realized how different his human and ghost form was. Sure, there had always been the obvious stuff to distinguish the two from each other. But with his ghost senses working near their limit, his strength and stamina heightened, and his head clear of all fear, it seemed like his human form was so pathetic and delicate. He had been no match for Ares then. Now he was working at the god's level. Were humans really that fragile?

Danny ducked after another swing of the axe. It came so close to slicing through a side of his head that Danny could hear the swoosh in the air as it came down. In mid swing, the weapon glowed a brilliant red and morphed into another type of weapon.

With an alarmed yelp, Danny saw that the axe was now a gleaming sword and it was changing its direction quickly. The boy didn't have the time to block the new angled swing with his own sword. Instead, he turned intangible, phasing right through it as it carved right through his ghostly mid section.

Ares rapidly brought his blade back up to hold the hilt in both hands for a more powerful swing. Danny turned tangible again, staying in his crouch so he could be ready to roll out of the way if he had to. That last one had been too close. It took a lot of focus to use any powers when he had to concentrate on sword fighting as well. All it took was a little bit more speed from Ares, and the ghost boy could be caught off guard and get hurt again. That was the last thing Danny needed.

Ares' blade glittered a dazzling gold as it reflected off the sun blazing down upon the adversaries. He heaved it high before vertically bringing it downward, a loud battle yell escaping the god. Danny deftly rolled forward and through the immortal's legs.

Springing back to his feet, Danny lifted his own sword to scathe the back of the god. Ares spun around just in time to raise his sword. Metal collided violently with metal. The clash of both swords felt like slamming into a brick wall for Danny.

Ignoring the pain in both his hands and his bleeding arm, Danny phased right through the god. Ares gave a roar, swinging his sword in one long arc as he whirled all the way around. If Danny hadn't been alert, he surely would have gotten his head cut off. But he was already in the air; above any threat as he kicked the helmet Ares was wearing right off his head.

The bronze helmet clanked noisily to the grassy hill ground. This small deed enraged the god of war. He glared venomously up at Danny, those black eyes full of hate. "Who do you belong to?" he barked up at Danny. "Once I kill you, I will go to your immortal mother or father and throw your dead body at their feet as a reminder to them how poorly they raised you! You have no respect for the gods!"

"I belong to no one!" Danny yelled back down at him. He blasted downward, fiercely swinging his sword at Ares. The god easily stepped to the side, grabbed the boy's ankle, and flung him harshly to the ground. Hastily scrambling to his feet, Danny didn't have the time to dodge another swing. The tip of Ares' blade swept across the teen's chest.

Letting out a stifled cry of pain, Danny duck rolled out of the way of a second swing. At the end of the roll, he sprung off the ground and into the air to hover over Ares' head. Breathing hard from the so much exertion, Danny lightly traced his fingers over his new wound. It wasn't as deep as the one on his arm, but it was bleeding nonetheless. It stung and burned, competing against his arm injury for the most painful under the useful numbness of adrenaline that was pumping through his body.

"I can see that you are weary and tired, boy," Ares called up to Danny. He saw some blood drip off of Danny's wound and fall to the grass beside him and laughed in evil glee of the gruesome sight. "I do have to give you credit for making it this far. You are like a little monkey, the way you jump and fly around," he said with a malevolent chuckle. "But your body can't go on much more. The moment you make a mistake, I will be there to give the fatal blow. No amount of flying or intangibility will help you in this battle."

"Then maybe we should cool things down," Danny snarled back.

The next swing from Ares could be a more deadly one. The teen knew he wouldn't be able to take much more of this. It was time to finish the god off before any more damage could be inflicted.

Eyes switching to a frosty blue, Danny collected his cold power in his hands. Near his limit of control of an ice blast, Danny pushed his palms down at Ares. The spray caught the god slightly off guard, but he was still able to raise his sword to deflect the icy blow.

"I'm glad that's done," Danny sighed in relief to himself. He floated back to the earth to see how much Popsicle damage he had done to the god. The frosty mist was still collected around what Danny thought to be the ice sculpture of the immortal. He waited patiently for the cold fog to blow away in the wind.

"Underestimating someone in battle is a big mistake," the voice of Ares growled from behind the boy.

For a second Danny was frozen in fear. Forcing himself to get over it, Danny twisted his body around while trying to get his sword up in time for a block. He gritted his teeth as the first blow reverberated through the bones in his hands. He jumped away, sprung off the ground and flew back at Ares at a faster speed. At the last second, he changed his flight direction and came down with his sword from above the god's head. Their swords clashed again. Ares was just too quick for Danny to beat with a sword.

"Besides changing its shape, my sword can deflect almost any unique attack from a god, goddess, or demigod," Ares explained to Danny. "Your ice powers are completely useless here."

Danny growled in frustration. He pushed off the god's shoulders, sending both of them flying in different directions across the field. Ares smoothly rolled back to his feet. Danny swooped around and blasted back at Ares. He was half way there when he saw the god spot his spear symbol and pull it out of the earth. He pointed it at the teen coming at him, a white blast coming out of it.

The ghost boy flew off to one side, avoiding the first blast of white power from the spear. "What the heck is that thing?" Danny asked himself. He wasn't lucky on the second shot; it caught him in the shoulder. "No!" Danny screamed as he felt his powers dwindle into nothing. A second later, he was Danny Fenton, next to useless human.

Shorting out, Danny lost his flight ability and fell roughly to the ground, landing on his shoulder and loosing his sword in the process. Panic rising steadily in him, Danny lunged for his weapon with a type of desperation in his wide blue eyes. He didn't have a chance. Ares got there first, kicking it down the hill with a wicked laugh.

"I guess I should thank you for returning my symbol, pathetic one," Ares said as he slowly started to walk toward Danny. With a skill mastered by only a few, Ares twirled the spear around with one hand. It looked like a helicopter's blades as they spun with a deadly whirl.

Danny said nothing. His pains were sharply returning. He had lost a lot of blood, so his clouded head spun and his eyes couldn't seem to focus enough. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, grimacing at the pain of doing just that simple task. He was in deep trouble.

Ares took his eyes off his prey for a second, puzzlement on his face as he looked off into the forest. Danny turned his head around to see what was so bizarre that it would capture Ares' attention. He didn't know how to feel when he saw a stream of fire blasting out of the top of sea of deep green pine trees. It was Theo's signal. But…was Danny going to survive to even make it there?

A/N: Dun, dun, dun! Another cliffhanger! Oh! Phantom Mania is in an hour! I'm excited for this next episode and for the movie…even though I've already seen them. Oh well. At least I got to see the Pandora's Box episode which was the only one in the season that I hadn't seen before. It was good. It didn't interfere with my fic, which made me happy. Okay. Enough with my blabbing! I WILL get my next chapter out next Friday. I hope this whole two week updating thing will stop and go back to one week. I will see all you awesome readers next Friday!


	17. Chapter 17 A Growing Ghost

A/N: Whew! I've been helping my dad build a deck for all this week. I almost wasn't able to finish this chapter on time. But I'm pushing through my aches and tiredness to give this to you awesome readers. You get to know Rhodes a bit more in this chapter. Its interesting to read what you guys think of that character. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I am only a pathetic fan of the ghost boy and his friends. I do not own Danny Phantom!

Chapter 17 A Growing Ghost

When Danny looked back at Ares, the god was still squinting at the fire erupting from where Theo and the rest were. Surprisingly, Danny's head was clear and solid still. Even with the scare of being very close to losing his life, the boy knew he needed to move now or never if he ever wanted to catch Ares off guard.

Wincing from the pain of his arm and chest, Danny forced himself to his feet for his attack. Just as Ares was taking his black eyes off Theo's signal, Danny was lifting his leg high into the air. Things seemed to go into slow motion. The god tried to retract his spear, a look of amazement coming to his face. Danny's foot hit the spear, kicking it right out of the god's hand. The symbol flew over the man's head and landed head first into the ground a few yards away.

Ares whipped his head back around, his expression becoming one of anger again. He sharply took out his morphing sword from its scabbard at his hip. His voice was almost sinister as he seethed down at Danny, "Big mistake! You're blood will be the next thing to hit the earth! Prepare to die!"

Danny stared up at Ares, his eyes wide with terror. But it was that fear that compelled him to act. Ares's sword came down, but Danny was able to jump out of the way. Another swing. Danny ducked to avoid the slab of bronze aiming to kill. A third swing. This time Danny had to take a quick step or two backwards. Forth swing. All it took was a simple side step.

Ares stopped for a brief moment. Danny bit his lower lip, suppressing his want to fall to his knees and rest his tired body. He reasoned with himself that if he could survive four swings in a row from Ares, he could certainly keep himself intact till he came up with a good plan to get himself out of this grisly mess. Maybe he could hold out till he got his powers back.

The pause was only a second or two. It was enough time for Danny to get his head back and focus. The boy stood on the balls of his feet, ready to move in the blink of an eye. He didn't have his sword and his powers were out for the next few minutes. It would be suicide to do anything else but dodge.

The god was a whirlwind of anger as he lifted the blade over his head and came down strong. Light on his feet, Danny jumped backwards. His feet were barely touching the ground when Ares struck again with a thrust. Gritting his teeth, Danny forced himself to spring sideways and threw himself into a roll.

Ares leapt over to where Danny was going with another swing ready. The boy sprung out from his roll at the last second. He avoided the third swing by jumping over the sword itself as it cut the air. Landing in a crouch, Danny managed to sense the next attack and did a back hand spring. The boy watched with large eyes as Ares' blade flew past, less than an inch away his nose.

Then there was another pause.

Danny stood only a yard away from Ares. He greedily took in breaths, watching Ares do the same. They stood there, glaring coldly at each other, for at the most five seconds. No words were shared.

_Four swings_ Danny thought to himself. _There is a pattern to his fighting. He swings four times with his sword and then stops for a few seconds. I can't keep this up. I have to attack at some point. The only way to do that without getting sliced is to attack in that space between each four swing cycle._

Just like before, Danny came into the third swing cycle with a clearer head. His lose of blood made his head spin, but he couldn't let it slow him down. Just like he had predicted, Ares only made four swings. Danny cut his dodges very close. Ares was somehow able to keep the speed up, but Danny was beginning to slow down. He had to attack.

"Four! Now!" Danny yelled just as Ares finished his fourth deadly swing. The boy jumped out of his crouch and elbowed the god in the nose, a loud battle yell coming out of him. There was no pity and a whole lot of desperation in his next move. With another war cry, Danny slammed a tight fist into the god's exposed throat.

Choking and sputtering, Ares hastily backed away from Danny. The boy had surely broken the god's nose, but no blood came forth out of the wound. Danny had to remind himself that immortals didn't bleed. As if to satisfy the teen's hopes, though, a large bruise was forming all around Ares's swelling nose.

Danny grinned, pleased with himself.

"Wipe that smile of your face, boy!" Ares shouted at Danny, his voice cracking from the hit to his throat. "That was only a cheap shot!"

"I beg to differ," Danny responded boldly. "I saw an opening and took it. It can't be a cheap shot when I don't even have a sword or powers. Get over yourself, meathead." Danny's grin turned into one of slyness as he added, "Is meathead mad that a little kid just hurt his little nose? Aw. Poor meathead."

Instead of taking the bait, Ares threw his head back and let out a rough laugh. He smiled evilly back at Danny as he said, "For a moment there I almost fell for my own trick. It seems that you learn pretty fast."

Danny watched with his stomach churning in disgust as Ares licked Danny's blood off his blade. "But you have to understand by now, pathetic demigod, that your life will end here," Ares said. "No amount of punches or kicks will help you. You have no sword. You're powers will be gone for hours! Did you really believe that you could beat me today?"

Danny said nothing. His blue eyes started to glow.

Ares took this response as one of fear and came back at the boy, never acknowledging his eyes. Thinking he had the kid exactly where he wanted, Ares put his whole weight into his move. It was the fatal blow. He was past the point of no return.

Waiting till the last second, Danny turned ghost. He jumped, phased through the sword coming down on him, and placed his fingertips on the god's forehead while in mid air. Instantly, Ares was a block of ice. Danny landed gracefully behind him. Summing up as much ectoplasm energy as he could, Danny spun back around and released it all at Ares. The ghost boy blasted the immortal at least five miles away and into the forest.

"Don't ever underestimate your opponent," Danny said between ragged breaths. "Wasn't that one of your own too?" Ares was nowhere around to hear or answer the question.

With a soft moan, Danny turned back into his human self and fell to his hands and knees. He shook uncontrollably, trying to steady his erratic breathing. His wounds were still bleeding. He was going to pass out soon from the blood lose. What would happen then? Would he die stupidly because he didn't have enough blood? He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't die now!

"Danny!" someone screamed in alarm from behind. Suddenly someone was lifting Danny's chin. The teen looked into Theo's eyes, seeing the world of worry in them. "No! Hang in there! Don't pass out on me, Danny!" Theo demanded with rough concern in his voice.

"You told us he would be okay!" Tucker's voice floated into Danny's fuzzy and sluggish brain. He was losing it fast. Any second now he was going to black out.

"I know!" Theo yelled back at Tucker. "But I was wrong, okay? I made a big mistake! I should have never made him fight Ares! I'm sorry!" Danny, even in his weird state, was surprised to see tears coming to Theo's eyes. The feline boy quickly pushed them away with the back of his hand and got a hold on his heightened emotions.

"You idiot!" Sam's voice screamed at Theo. "You made him fight Ares, the god of war?" Danny had never heard her so angry, so frightened. He wished he could see her, but he was too far gone to see clearly now.

The world was spinning and sounds began to get jumbled up. The wounded teen couldn't follow the conversation anymore. All he knew was that everyone was arguing. Before long, even the arguing was a distant buzz. It was only then that Danny let himself drift off into blackness, leaving the pain and tiredness behind.

-Theo-

Glancing upward, Theo tightened his grip on Danny on his back before continuing his rigorous climb up the small mountainside. Even with someone on his back and he couldn't use his hands, Theo was still a few good paces in front of Sam and Tucker. Rhodes, quiet as usual, was steadily keeping a place between the three rivals.

They were deep in the forest now. Trees were more bunched together, rocks were a constant obstacle, and the mountain sides kept getting steeper. The sun was quickly sinking in the sky, daring the travelers to keep going even when it would leave this side of the world for a few hours.

It had been five hours since Danny had passed out and they had rushed off into the woods. It was better to leave before Ares came back for his symbol. At first they had been good at just jogging here and there. But now the outsiders were hungry and tired. Sam and Tucker hadn't whined openly yet, but Theo knew they had to be complaining behind his back. He knew he had to stop soon.

Stumbling, Theo had to dig a knee into the earth to prevent himself from tipping over with Danny on his back. He paused to get his focus back on his trek upward instead of his worries, and then silently got back to his feet. Once at the top of the large hill, he found a good clearing and rested Danny's body against a tree. He was throwing some branches into the middle when the rest arrived.

Bending down, Theo set the pile of wood on fire with a small fireball from his hand. He stood back up, glanced over to Danny, then addressed Sam and Tucker with his voice monotone, "I'm going to a creek in the valley to fish. I'll be back in an hour."

"I'm a vegetarian," Sam said matter-of-factly. "I don't eat fish."

Theo stared at her, a rude or sarcastic comment ready to spring from his tongue. Instead, he repressed his negative and walked neutrally off into the woods without a word. For once, he wasn't in the mood to argue. He had no place to do so. He deserved Sam and Tucker's anger for his mistake with Danny.

A giant rock sat on the bank of the stream. The large creek was calm; barely making a sound as it slowly flowed down its path. It was the perfect place for fish. They never liked rushing or noisy water. The water of the creek was ice cold and a bit murky.

Theo shivered as he waded into the depths of the water. He went in till it came up to his waist. Bending over, he kept his hands in the water to feel for the fish. Every few minutes, Theo would feel a fish swim through his hands and quickly grab it and then throw it to shore. The slimy animal would flop around, sometimes finding it back to the safety of water, but most of them died from suffocating. Theo did this till it was sunset.

To dry off, the teen sat on the big boulder that sat half way in and out of the water. It was only then that he couldn't keep his emotions in. His shoulders dropped, as did his tail. Sighing, Theo put his head in his hands and tried not to cry. This disaster was all his fault.

"Need help with the fish?" Rhodes asked from Theo's left side suddenly.

Gasping in surprise, Theo felt like he jumped a few feet in the air from the scare. He sniffed, trying to come up with words for the kid waiting for a response. "How…how did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" Rhodes asked innocently.

"How did you sneak up on me?" Theo said. "I usually can pick up on someone if they are near."

"Oh," the boy said, sitting down next to Theo. "I have a knack for doing that. I guess I'm just naturally light footed." There was a pause. "You okay?"

Theo, leaning forward, glanced back at Rhodes. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Rhodes persisted, "Because you look really depressed."

Theo looked over his shoulder to stare at the kid beside him. Rhodes smiled sweetly back at Theo, the first true expression Theo had seen from him. For a moment Theo was about to tell the boy what was on his mind, but then suspicions came back to him. Rhodes wasn't normal. It wouldn't be smart to show weakness to him.

"I…uh…have a lot on mind, that's all," Theo said, turning back and rubbing his forehead.

So they sat there like that, silently watching the blazing sun set peacefully in the sky. All Theo could think about was what he was going to do and the worries about that. What if Danny was too far gone to be saved? Was he going to finish the mission by himself? Could he even go on without his friend? The sad truth was that Danny was the only person Theo had been able to call a friend…or more like an annoying brother, but someone close nonetheless. For the last few days, Danny had been a…joy in Theo's usual gray life. Why did everything good in his life have to be taken from him?

Rhodes sighed, standing up on the rock beside Theo. The day was coming to a quick end. The sky was a deep blue, getting ready for its transformation into complete darkness. The stream was black, no moon or stars there to reflect off it.

"I'm going to bring the fish up to Sam and Tucker," Rhodes said quietly. "I'll leave you some."

Without looking back at the boy, Theo said dully, "Thanks."

Rhodes diligently picked up the dead fish beside the rock. Without Theo looking, the boy tipped his head back and swallowed a fish whole. Licking his lips, the boy held the fish to his chest and stared back at Theo with concern in his violet eyes. Rhodes believed Theo was the only one sensible enough to lead the group. He worried that Theo wouldn't be able to do so if things didn't get any brighter.

-Danny-

The first thing Danny noticed when he woke up was the pain from both his wounds. He sucked in a deep breath, wincing to unsuccessfully deal with the pain. He lifted a heavy hand to the wound on his chest and lightly traced his fingers over the blood stained cloth pulled tightly over it to stop the bleeding. Looking at it through the dim light of a fire, Danny gave an ironic smile, thinking, _well; at least I'm not dead._

Groaning, Danny pushed the heels of his feet into the dirt ground to push himself up into a sitting position against a tree. For a second he thought he was going to either pass out again or throw up because his head was spinning so fast. He had to wait a few nauseating seconds with his eyes closed to let the dizziness die down.

Opening his eyes and looking around, Danny slowly took in his surroundings. He grinned when seeing both Sam and Tucker sleeping soundly beside him. They had safely been rescued by Theo, which made the ghost boy happy as ever. They were going to be great help for the last three gods they were going to encounter. Danny knew Sam was going to enjoy the history of this time period.

Thinking the black silhouette of the person eating rabbit meat pieces by the fire was Theo because of the pointy ears, Danny had to do a double take on Rhodes. "Theo?" Danny asked dumbly, leaning forward to make sure his eyes weren't betraying him.

Jumping from the surprise, Rhodes hastily shoved his straw hat back onto his head. Fixing his toga in the back, the boy said to Danny, "I'm not Theo. My name is Rhodes. I was held hostage by someone named Vlad and your friends let me stay with them because I have no where else to go. Sorry if I frightened you."

"No, I just mistook you for Theo because of your ears," Danny said, confused now. He rose to shaky legs, stiffly walked close to Rhodes, and plopped down beside the boy. He didn't want to wake his friends.

"What do you mean?" Rhodes asked with a nervous laugh. "I don't have ears like Theo."

"They were pointy," Danny said hopelessly.

"Maybe you were just dizzy," Rhodes said critically. "Have some food," he said, cutting off the old subject of his ears. He gave Danny a stick with pieces of the rabbit meat on them, already cooked.

Danny chewed on his dinner silently, too hungry to focus on a conversation. When done with his first stick, Rhodes handed him a new one with a grin and then went back to his own food. Finishing off his third stick of the meat, Danny sighed with a full stomach.

"I knew the fish Theo caught wouldn't last long with a camp of five starving teens," Rhodes said with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you telling me you caught a rabbit, skinned it, and then cooked it all by yourself?" Danny asked the boy.

"Yeah…so?" Rhodes answered hesitantly. "Isn't that what normal boys my age do?"

"Yeah, when their like teens and hunting is their life," Danny said. He looked Rhodes up and down before asking, "How old _are_ you?"

"Nine…no…ten…wait, I'm eleven!" Rhodes answered in a rush of jumbled words. Danny raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Sulking after his pathetic answer, Rhodes pulled the brim of his hat down so Danny couldn't see his face anymore.

"Okay," Danny said slowly. He continued his semi interrogation on the boy by asking, "And what does the name Rhodes mean?"

Rhodes lifted his hat up with a knuckle. He locked eyes with Danny and told him seriously, "It means roses."

"Roses?" Danny repeated.

"Yes," Rhodes said with a nod.

"What kind of a cruel mother would call her boy the name of a flower?" Danny blurted out.

Rhodes frowned deeply. "I like my name," he defended himself. "And flowers are pretty." Grasping for words, he only came up lamely with, "Girls like them."

"They die in two days if you give them to girls," Danny said with a laugh. "I don't know why girls believe they are romantic."

"Most of the time it's the thought that matters," Rhodes explained quite seriously. "But girls like stuff that are pretty and smell good. And if you know a girl's favorite kind of flower, I'm sure they will love you for a much longer time than the two days the flowers are alive." Smiling slyly, Rhodes added, "Do you know Sam's favorite flower?"

Danny's eyes went wide in surprise of this kid's words. How could he possibly know that he had a crush on Sam? Only girls had that power to detect things like that. Maybe he was just guessing and got it right somehow. But still, it was strange how this conversation had come to this touchy subject.

Cheeks turning red, Danny quickly said, "Sam? She has a favorite flower? She likes flowers? Ha! The girl would probably burn them if I gave her some." The teen scratched the back of his neck out of nervous habit.

Rhodes gave Danny a knowing sweet smile, dropping the subject for the sake of Danny's privacy. The two dropped into silence, staring into the hot embers of the fire beside them. The smoke made Danny's eyes sting and water, but it was a real, tangible feeling that at this point Danny didn't mind.

Even with so many ghost hunting adventures under his belt, Danny felt like this one was somehow different. He was learning and feeling new things. Just a week and a half ago he was miserable and clueless as to what to do. He had missed his family and friends. Now he didn't even mind sitting next to a complete stranger and was used to the strange world he was stuck in. He felt like he was growing, becoming stronger somehow.

_Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger,_ Danny thought to himself with a smile.

A/N: Okay, so school starts on the 5th. It will be my last year (FINALLY!), so I've got an Advanced Placement English class and two Honors classes. I focus a lot on my studies. That means less time writing. My weekly updates might have to change to once every two weeks. Sorry. So I might not be able to update next Friday. If so, see you in two weeks! And yes, I hate school too.


	18. Chapter 18 Secret Kitsune

A/N: Okay! I've got you readers a long chapter because of your two week wait. Sorry if it is too centered on Theo again. More Danny chapters will be after this one. That is all I have to say at the moment. Go enjoy your chapter!

Disclaimer: Own Danny Phantom, I do not.

Chapter 18 Secret Kitsune

Theo sighed for the hundredth time that night. Worry had kept him up like this for hours now. His body and mind were tired and weary, but the tension and his anxiousness was tormenting him by keeping his sleepy eyes wide awake. He guessed that is had to be at least two in the morning. He hated himself for punishing his body like this.

The river smoothly flowing by the rock Theo was on was illuminated by the stars shining down on its moving surface. The moon was only a small sliver in the sky. Its presence was a frustrating and painful reminder to the half sphinx that time was ticking and he didn't have much of it left.

Two gods and a goddess were left. He and Danny only had about three or four days to deliver their symbols. And that was if Danny actually had enough strength or lived long enough to get up and help out. If he wasn't, Theo knew he himself would never make it.

And the worry continued.

"Boo!"

All of the sudden, Danny's glowing face was in Theo's. The teen on the rock leaned back with a sharp gasp in his freak out moment. By doing so, he lost his balance and fell off his perch completely. A frightened scream escaped Theo as he landed roughly on his back in the mud by the river.

Danny laughed uncontrollably as he hovered over Theo in ghost form. At first, Theo just stared, stunned, up at Danny. It wasn't till Danny's sides were hurting from laughter and he had to sit down on the rock that Theo's brain kicked back on.

"Little brat!" Theo hissed up at Danny. He sprung to his feet and strongly shoved Danny backwards. The ghost boy was so surprised by this action he didn't recover till he was hitting the cold surface of the river behind him.

Clinging onto the rock with clattering teeth from the rude cold, Danny glared up at the smirking Theo. Wanting to wipe that smile off his face; Danny grabbed one of Theo's ankles and pulled back on it, successfully tripping the other teen. Theo gave a yelp before plunging into the icy depths. He came back up sputtering and shivering. He grabbed onto the rock next to Danny.

Looking at each other, the boys suddenly cracked up.

"You look like a drown rat!" Danny said between laughs, pointing a finger at Theo.

"Me? What about you?" Theo teased back. "Be careful, ghost boy. You're ice powers might make your purple skin get frostbite." They laughed some more. It took a few seconds for them to get control over themselves.

"Man! This water is freezing!" Danny said, finally getting enough brains to pull himself up out of the river.

Theo quickly climbed up the rock and stuck out a hand for Danny to grab onto. A big, stupid smile was on Theo's face as he hauled Danny out of the river. Danny looked over his sore and painful wounds to make sure he didn't make anything worse as the mates sat back down on the rock. He glanced up at Theo, finally noticing the smile.

"Why the goofy grin?" Danny asked. "You being happy is very suspicious."

Theo glanced over and rolled his eyes. "What?" he asked. "I can't ever be happy?"

Danny gave an overdramatic gasp. "I know!" he said. "You were worried about me! Mister stone faced and reclusive finally felt concern. Has it opened your eyes to wondrous new emotions?"

Theo laughed with Danny, surprised that he didn't go ahead and clobber the kid for mocking him. "Yeah," Theo admitted quietly. "I was worried."

Danny's smile dropped as the mood became more serious. "You were?" he asked in slight surprise.

"And," Theo said as he looked down at the river that seemed to glow in the clear night, "I'm sorry for making you fight Ares." He sighed. It was painful on his pride to admit this next part. "I was wrong. I thought you were strong enough to keep from getting hurt, but you weren't. I'm sorry I overestimated you and almost got you killed."

There was silence for a moment.

"Hey, dude, no big deal," Danny said with a simple shrug. He wasn't the one to hold a grudge, and he personally thought he needed a brutal fight like that. It was a good snap into reality. "Actually, I'm healing pretty quickly. Maybe that weird kid, Rhodes, drugged me with some painkiller. Jeez, that kid is strange! Why on earth did you let him tag along?"

"You can say that again," Theo sighed in annoyance over the matter. "I was about to force some answers out of him while I had him pinned to a tree, my dagger at his throat. But it just so happened that your friends were there watching. Apparently they don't like me picking on little kids. And after you blacking out, they now hate my guts. This is still a disaster."

Danny burst out laughing at the visual he got in his head. Theo's ears flattened as he shot Danny a cold look. "Oh boy! No wonder you looked so hopeless before I scared you!" Danny laughed. "You had a whole camp glaring daggers at you. Way to go, cat boy."

"Cat boy," Theo repeated flatly. "Funny. You're spiteful, grass eating girlfriend called me the same thing."

Danny's cheeks turned red the second time that night. He was thankful for the cover of night that hid most of the color from Theo. "Um…we're not exactly boy and girl friend," he said, forcing the words out.

"Oh," Theo said, giving Danny a confused look. "I thought that was what your time period called it."

"Called what?" Danny asked.

"When two people like each other they call each other boy and girl friend, right?" Theo asked. "You like Sam, don't you? I thought you did. Well, it always looked like it whenever I went to your time period."

"Um…yeah, of course I like her," Danny said in a rush, trying desperately to sound casual. "We're really good friends, but we are not…boy and girl friend. I mean, maybe someday. Or…uh…maybe never. I'm not exactly sure." Frantic to get himself out of the spotlight, he asked, "So do you have a girlfriend?"

The last question throwing off his planned comment about Danny and Sam, Theo looked back down at the river. "No," he said after a pause. "I…don't exactly have the time for a girl…or more like no girl has the time for me." He sighed as the unfamiliar subject bothered him. "Love is too confusing for me to even consider."

"Yeah, only someone pretty weird and special will be able to date you, Theo," Danny said with a sly smile.

"Oh, thanks," Theo muttered with a tired sigh.

-That Morning-

"So," Danny finished up his speech to Sam, Tucker, and Rhodes, "Theo and I only have a few days left to return Hades, Hera, and Zeus their symbols. This part will be the most dangerous, so Theo and I need all the help we can get. Are you guys gonna help us or what?"

Sam and Tucker were sitting on a large log across from where Danny was sitting cross legged next to the small fire that Rhodes had kept going all night long. Rhodes was sitting off to the side of the camp, looking back and forth from Danny to Theo. The half sphinx was busy sharpening the blade of his dagger with a stone by a tree, keeping his silence as Danny explained their mission to his friends…and Rhodes.

"Okay," Tucker said slowly, trying to take everything in all at once. "So the gods and goddesses we learned about in seventh grade were really powerful ghosts?"

"Yeah, but more like me, 'cause they have human forms as well as ghost forms," Danny said.

"And there isn't a ghost zone in this time period?" Sam asked.

"Well, that's what Theo said," Danny answered. He noticed his friends' frowns after he said this and quickly did damage control. "But I'd trust him with whatever he says about ghost portals and stuff," he said to them. "He doesn't say much about them, but trust me, he knows more than what he is letting on. He knows more about the ghost zone than us three combined."

Sam and Tucker looked at each other, silently agreeing with the other. They smiled before Tucker let Sam say, "We're with you, Danny. We're your best friends; we'd help you even if we thought you were crazy…which you kinda are." Danny grinned back at them, happy to have such loyal and close friends.

Before standing up, Theo glanced at Rhodes. The boy was staring right at him, giving Theo an unwanted and strange feeling. It was like the kid had been expecting him to stand up and take command. He could see it in the boy's eyes. He actually wanted Theo to be leader. It was different to have someone essentially _want_ him to be one.

Not knowing what to do with this new feeling; Theo gave Rhodes a chilling look to back off. Rhodes didn't seem to be effected by the glare as he watched Theo cross the clearing so that he was standing next to where Danny was still sitting. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and made eye contact with both Sam and Tucker.

"Okay, now that you agreed to help," Theo said with a firm voice, "We have to go over some rules."

"Rules?" Tucker protested quite loudly.

"Yes," Theo answered with sharpness to his voice this time. "One, my last plan might have been a mistake, but that doesn't mean I don't know my way around here. I know more about this time period and the gods than you ever learned in a dumb history class. That means I lead everyone. Two, we go at my pace when traveling on foot. If I say to go faster, we go faster. I say when we stop and where. Three, everyone pulls their own weight whenever we make camp. Four, when we take the time to set up a plan for returning the last three symbols I want all ideas no matter how stupid. Trust me; I'm always up for the most insane. Lastly, our hike to the Underworld begins…now."

-Few Hours Later-

Picking up a good sized piece of wood off the ground and adding it to the collection in his arms, Theo's ears suddenly picked up a sound in the forest surrounding him. The sound had been slight, but Theo's good hearing let him perceive it. It had been distant. That only meant that the curious half cat had to check it out.

After walking and jogging for the better part of a day, Theo had led the group through the woods for hours till finally stopping to make camp. Sam and Danny had gone off to a stream to reload goat skin canteens with fresh water. Theo put Tucker to work by collecting rocks for their fire, and he and Rhodes went separate ways to collect firewood.

Now, too inquisitive for his own good about the sound, Theo crouched close to the earth and started to sneak forward to investigate. For all he knew, it could have been a deer passing by. But then again, he would have spotted the creature. If you knew where to look, a deer wasn't too hard to spot.

He was only a few yards away from the place where he believed he heard the shifting sound. One more step closer and…_snap_!

Barely able to comprehend what had just happened, Theo was suddenly lifted high into the air by a rope that was tightly wrapped around his ankle. Letting out a surprised yell, Theo fell back down to the ground as gravity took over. Still tied to the rope that was attached to a tree branch, Theo slammed his head into the earth before bouncing back up…just to come back down for another harsh head beating from Mother Nature.

It took a good minute and a half for the bouncing to stop. Groaning and whispering some colorful words, Theo held his spinning head as he dangled a few feet above the ground. Hissing in pain, Theo opened his eyes and looked around from his upside-down position. Looking up, he saw his ankle that had gotten itself ensnarled into the animal trap. It was already swelling, obviously hurt somehow from his wild ride.

"Good thing Danny and his friends aren't here," Theo muttered sourly under his breath, "Or I'd have them teasing and tormenting me till my grave. Why do felines have to have so much pride? This is so freaking embarrassing!"

Taking out his dagger from his belt that was beginning to fall off his hips, Theo strained his sore body as he reached for the rope tied to his ankle so he could cut himself down. Whoever had made the trap was really good at them, Theo mused to himself. If it could hold something as big as a teenager, it meant the knots and set up was perfect. Too bad the hunter wouldn't get any dinner. The guy sure did deserve it with this kind of trap.

"Yes! I got something this soon? That's record timing!" someone's excited voice said as its owner jumped out from behind a cluster of trees. Theo gasped in surprise and snapped his head around to see who it was. His eyes widened in complete shock.

The person was small and thin, wearing the normal toga and sandals with a large straw hat that had been pushed back so it hung off the head by a small string. That was all common…except that the person was a girl.

Not just any girl, though. She had two furry pointed ears and long, thick crimson colored hair tied into a tight braid. Two same colored tails poked through the end of the toga, swishing around like bothered eels at the bottom of the sea. But it was her eyes that stole the boy's breath away. They were violet.

"Rhodes." The word was breathed into a soft whisper that seemed like the wind itself.

For a moment the two stared, stunned and awestruck at each other. Silent and deathly still, it took a moment for both of them to process the information before them and come up with a solution. Action was their conclusions.

Lunging upward, Theo swung his dagger at the rope bound around his ankle. He planned to get the heck away from there and warn the others. He couldn't believe how stupid he was for letting Rhodes join them. He had put the whole camp in danger!

The blade was inches away from slicing the rope when Rhodes's action caught up with his. She came in a powerful kick to his shoulder. The impact sent the dangling teen off balance. Theo dropped his dagger with a sharp yell as he swung into a tree near the one he was tangled to. As he swung back towards Rhodes, the boy desperately reached for the weapon. Unfortunately, his fingers weren't even able to brush against its handle.

Slamming back into Rhodes, he tried to sum up his fire powers as she placed her fingertips on his forehead. Crying out in pain, Theo forgot his powers as an overwhelming shock wave flashed through his head. Upside down, he grabbed onto Rhodes's arm that had been placed onto his forehead. Another wave fried his senses, making him gasp this time.

"Let…go of me," Rhodes said, her eyes squeezed shut. Crystal clear tears were collecting at the edges of her lashes. "Please, Theo," she seemed to beg. When he didn't let go, she sent a third shock wave through him.

Sick of the pain, Theo slowly let go of Rhodes's arm. As he did so, she lifted her fingertips off his forehead. They were both breathing hard as they stared at each other. Theo's head was right at the girl's eye level, forcing the adversaries to look into the other's face.

"What in the Underworld is going on here?" Theo finally said to break the silence between them. "You better start explaining, you trickster Kitsune, or you're going to have one ticked off cat."

Rhodes stepped back from Theo. "You know what I am?" she asked quietly, some surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, you're a sly and conniving Japanese fox spirit," Theo spat back. "I've heard stories about your type. None of them were good. What are you doing so far away from your island? What do you want with the others and me?"

"That's just it," Rhodes said with despair and a passion in her voice. "I was kidnapped from Japan thirty years ago. I had been working on my transformation power, but I messed up and got this mixed form. Before I could change back, some pirates captured me and put some kind of a spell on me so that I'm now stuck in this form. They took me here and sold me to a man that was the leader of some traveling performers. I was forced to work with them for years, as a rare fox lady. But the day I ran away, I ran into that god named Vlad."

Tears again threatening to escape her eyes, Rhodes held back a sad sob. She had spent too many years in this country in captivity. Usual fox spirits her age were so nice and innocent, just beginning to understand their powers, but not her. Her years spent in Greece were harsh and brutal ones. She had learned to grow up and fight for her life. She didn't know what was coming over her as she talked to Theo. She hadn't cried since that first night of being kidnapped. Now she couldn't keep back to the sobs.

"I know you think I'm stupid and most likely tricking you when I say this," Rhodes continued, "But when I saw you for the first time, I felt…safe. Somehow I knew you had been through what I went through. I just knew you had a hard and painful life like mine. To find someone like me felt so exciting that I wanted to be around you and the others."

"So you were like a stalker?" Theo asked, kind of distraught by this.

Rhodes gave a light chuckle. The pleasant and soft smile she then gave him seemed to smooth out all of Theo's tensions. "Kind of," she answered. "I also had nowhere to go and I'm prone to liking…lets say stressful situations. You and the others seemed perfect."

"They aren't exactly a walk in the park," Theo returned with a grumble.

"They're different," Rhodes said quietly after a small pause, "Just like me. I've come to like them."

For a brief moment, the two stared at each other again. But this time it was different. Instead of mistrust, anxiety, and aggression, there was a bond between the two that was untouchable and unspoken. Their hardships seemed to have bound them together. Again, against Theo's better judgment, the boy let the girl into his life.

"They aren't going to greet you so well if they found out you were a girl this whole time," Theo pointed out bluntly.

Rhodes flashed the teen demigod a sly smile. "Who says we have to tell them the truth?" she asked.

Theo frowned at this thought. "They deserve to know," he argued. "You can't just walk around pretending to be a guy whenever you're in public."

"Oh yeah," Rhodes said, putting her hands on her hips. Her two tails swished around in annoyance. "You try being a girl for one day. You know how difficult that is? We are mistreated and disrespected everyday so we can be put into our place. We are treated like animals by all men. Trust me. It is a lot safer for me to pretend to be a little boy than it is for me to be a girl."

Theo opened his mouth to protest, but at the last minute saw her logic and where she was coming from. Girls were treated differently in different time periods. It had taken him a few trips into those other periods to get used to treating a girl the same way he would treat anyone else.

Sighing, Theo said, "Fine. You can keep the little kid identity. But these guys are not what they seem. They wouldn't treat you badly if they found out who you really were. They would be mad that you tricked them, but they wouldn't see you any differently." He wasn't sure how much Rhodes knew about the Ghost Zone or portals, but just in case he didn't let out much information. Only with trust he would give that to her.

"I can think for myself," Rhodes retorted. "And usually I'm right. And right now I believe it would be better for me to keep a low profile."

"Fine," Theo growled back.

"Fine!" Rhodes shouted into his upside down face.

"Fine!" Theo yelled. They narrowed their eyes at each other in their heated silent argument. Finally Theo rolled his eyes as he swallowed his pride once again and muttered, "Can you get me down from here? This position is giving me a headache."

A/N: I've always wanted to do what I just did with Rhodes. Those girl-pretending-to-be-little-boy concepts have always pulled me into stories or make me love the story more. A few years ago I read a Jane Yolen book where that happened, and it was so surprising that I decided that one day I would do it myself.

Okay, so I have an idea for another Danny Phantom fan fic. Right now I'm just thinking over chapters and plot ideas to see what I like or can make better. I don't even have a summery yet. But in my next update, I'm gonna pitch my summary to you readers to see what you guys think of it. Have any of you readers have heard of the UK book series called CHERUB? The question has to do with my fan fic.

So, my next update will be in two weeks on either Friday or Saturday now. I wish I could update quicker, but AP English has me busting my butt with essays and term papers. Ug. But you readers have a great weekend! Go have some fun before the weather gets too cold!


	19. Chapter 19 Doggie Chow

A/N: VERY hectic week! AP English has got me running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I've got an essay due Monday, read Beowulf, read War of the Worlds, and write a term paper for it. Things aren't going too swell. To top it off, my youth group is going on a retreat this weekend, so I have little time to work on my essay. So…I'm not sure about when I can update next and the summary of the fan fic in my head will have to be on hold. With that said, enjoy your Underworld chapter. It is full of fun!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Danny Phantom. But oh how I wish I did!

Chapter 19 Doggie Chow

All they could see was black. The hole in the earth had a football field sized diameter. The dark void it created seemed to set the mood for the whole group as they silently stared down into its depths. The only sound was the rush of wind that sounded more like a wild howl as it crossed the barren land at the deep hole. The foreboding feeling of death sent chills up and down the teen's spines, while goose bumps tickled their skin.

"Okay, who wants to go down the creepy pit first?" Danny asked. No one said anything. They just kept staring downward. "Let's not get too excited," Danny muttered as his sarcastic remark to lighten up the situation failed.

"That's a creepy with two E's," Tucker finally said.

"More like three," Sam added.

Rhodes shook her head to agree. The fox spirit wasn't too sure about her decision to join these guys right about now. The entrance to the Underworld was making her incredibly nervous. Sure, she liked living on the edge, but this looked more like jumping off the dangerous cliff.

Theo sighed before yanking his eyes off the black pit and walked toward the slope that would take them downward and into the hole. The rest of the teens watched Theo walk for a second before hesitantly joining him on the hike downhill. The slope was rocky and narrow, curving around the sides of the circular hole. It soon got too dark for them to see their tentative steps. Theo led with both his hands in flames while Danny took up the rear with balls of ectoplasm clasped in his hands.

It took the better part of an hour for the team to get to the bottom. Theo suddenly stopped as his sensitive ears picked up something. Rhodes looked up at him from where she was beside the demigod. She had heard the noise too. It was coming from a small open door across the floor of the pit. It was the only door there, meaning it was the only way to go next.

"Um…why don't I just stay up on the surface and make sure you guys come back safely?" Tucker asked, clearly freaked out.

"Tuck, you've battled ghosts with me for almost two years," Danny said. "Don't tell me now that you're afraid of seeing one."

"No, I'm just uncomfortable with the lighting of this place," Tucker said defensively. "It hurts my eyes."

"Sure," Sam said with the roll of her eyes.

Theo turned around to face the others before saying quietly, "Without the Ghost Zone in this time period, all ghosts and the dead go to different Underworlds. For the Greeks and Romans, they come here, which is ruled by Hades. I've…uh…never actually spent time with this god, to tell the truth. He didn't want to take the time to look after me on my probation, so I've never been down here. From this point on, I'm close to clueless as to what exactly will happen."

"Oh, that's a nice thought," Tucker said, "Our guide doesn't know how to guide us anymore."

"Don't worry," Sam said with some overconfidence to calm the group down, "I know a lot about Greek Mythology and the Underworld. I actually paid attention in History class…unlike some people I know." She eyed both Danny and Tucker while saying this. They gave her sheepish smiles.

"Good," Theo said, "Because we need all the help we can get." He paused before saying, "Now let's get moving. That door over there seems to be the only one. I'd advise you guys to be careful, though. There is some noise coming from inside it."

"Goody, mysterious noises," Danny mused out loud as he hovered after the others that were walking toward the door. "That doesn't seem scary at all. I know you're a laugh-in-the-face-of-danger kind of guy, Theo. But this is insane!"

"If it gets too intense, we can turn back," Theo declared stubbornly without even looking over his shoulder.

The group glanced back at Danny to see his ghost sense going off every two seconds as they approached the door. Sam and Tucker knew the ghost sense was always a bad omen, so they expected the worse. Theo ignored the eerie hint coming from Danny's mouth as he stared their fear right in the face by assertively walking through the stone doorway. The others followed with more timid steps.

Gasping, the group found themselves on a high platform carved out of the earth. Many steps led down to the ground floor of the underground chamber. Large stalactites hung from the ceiling, ominously dripping with dark water. Sleeping bats hung from their perches on the roof of the cave. They looked like a sea of black that screeched as the bright light from Theo's fiery hands burned their blood red eyes. But it wasn't the bats that had captivated the teens' attention.

The floor was a flood of ghosts. Their transparent, multicolored bodies mindlessly mingled around as a massive crowd. They were all talkative, going off into random rants that were never listened to by the others. They were all different ages, ranging from the rugged old to the very tiny baby held in a woman's arms. They all had the same blank stare as if they were all not completely there. It was a very disturbing sight for the teens standing above them.

"Out of all the months we've battled ghosts, I don't think I've seen so many in one place in my whole life," Sam breathed in shock.

"Yeah," Danny said, still wide eyed and taking in the sight, "No kidding."

"Please tell me these guys won't hurt us," Tucker said. "I'd hate to have to fight all these guys."

"I don't think they will hurt us," Theo said while in thought. "It doesn't look like they know we are here. I bet they can't even see us." He paused, slightly unsure with himself, before saying, "Let's keep moving. We want to get this done before sunset. Mount Olympus is a good day and a half away, maybe two because you guys are so slow. I don't want to spend that time watching ghosts. If I wanted to do that, I'd just stare at Danny."

Sam and Tucker frowned at Theo's brash way of wording his thoughts, but followed him down the steps anyway. Danny only grinned absentmindedly at Theo's words. He was all too used to them by now. His friends would just have to endure the demigod like he had to.

Rhodes didn't even notice the rudeness as she stuck close to Theo's side. Even though she trusted Danny more with the fighting, she didn't want to look like a wimp by going to the back and walking next to the ghost boy. Of course she could easily fight if she had to, but that would mean revealing her fox spirit identity. At all costs she wanted to keep that a secret only Theo would know.

It took only a few seconds for the whole team to totally freak out. They were walking across the large room to the other side when a group of phantoms ran right through the still-living beings. It wasn't everyday that the teens had people walk through them, so the cold, unsettling sensation they got made all five scream in fright.

"Ohhh! That was just wrong!" Tucker yelled with a shiver.

Danny laughed at the others, more used to it than them. "Are you now glad I don't do that to you?" he asked Sam and Tucker, "Because I've thought of it a few times." Their only response was glares.

A now thoroughly creeped out and silent Theo led them farther across the floor. They avoided the other ghosts as best they could, but sometimes they would have to walk through the apparitions with shivers going up and down their spines. All their eyes were wide with a touch of dread in them. There was an unspoken fear in all of them by now. The Underworld usually had that effect on any living being daring enough to venture into it.

"Newcomers!"

The sudden shout from behind produced either a loud gasp or scream of the teens as they spun around. A short, old man stood there. He had gritty and dirt stained rags that hung off his bony limbs. His skin was pale but so filthy that it looked black. His bulging eyes were yellow with a tint of red in them. White, lice infested hair was like a disgusting mass atop his balding head. The little man smiled up at them, his teeth brown or literally gone.

"You five look so fresh that you almost seem alive!" the old man said in amazement. He suddenly grabbed a fist full of Sam's black hair and yanked her down to have a sniff at it. Sam screamed her protest as the man said, "And you're clean too! You must be some spoiled brats from those rich folks in Athens. Those snobby Athenians! Hate them!"

Even though he looked malnourished and emaciated, the old man was strong. He shoved Sam back at her group. She landed with a yelp into Danny's ready hands. The force sent them to their butts. They stayed there for a moment, Danny giving the man a lethal glare. Sam was too dazed to do anything.

"So the little brat doesn't like me touching his lady?" the man asked Danny. He leapt forward and stuck his repulsive face into Danny's for a better look. An evil glint was the man's eyes, putting Danny's nerves on edge.

"What gives you the right to push Sam around?" Danny barked at the man while trying to get to his feet.

The man's hand came out of nowhere. The palm smacked onto Danny's forehead and forced it against the ground with no ounce of concern for the boy. Danny struggled as the man ground the teen's skull into the earth while eying the boy closely.

"You're a not a normal mortal," the man said in a hushed tone. "How very interesting."

"Get off me, you creep!" Danny shouted, finally pushing the guy off him. The little man bounced away from the angered ghost boy with a wicked and annoying laugh that seemed to mock them all. Danny scrambled to his feet, green eyes blazing.

Just as quick as before, the man snatched Theo's ear with the scarred Egyptian symbol on it. He yanked the ear down to his eye level, making Theo winced in pain while being pulled to his knees. The little man seemed to be very enthralled with the symbol.

"Back off!" Theo hissed. He lifted a fire blazed fist and threw the punch, but the man seemed to dodge the move and deftly caught Theo's wrist.

Smiling cruelly into Theo's bemused face, the man said with a knowing air, "You don't belong in this Underworld, do you, brat?"

Theo frowned before driving his free arm's elbow up and slamming it into the man's nose. Screaming in anger rather than pain, the man jumped back from the group. Theo got back to his feet and said, "We're not here to discuss our afterlife. We're here for Hades."

The strange old man raised an eyebrow in interest at Theo's words. A peculiar smile came to his wrinkled features as he eyed the teens in a new light than before. "Why didn't you say so?" the man asked. "Hades told me to look for only two live ones. I didn't realize you picked up three along the way."

"Where can we find Hades?" Danny asked in a firm voice. He didn't trust this man. "All we want to do is give the god his symbol and leave peacefully."

The little man laughed at Danny's clueless behavior about the Underworld. "Peacefully, eh?" he asked. "You might find that route difficult to achieve, brat." His words sent an unsettling vibe through the teens standing before him. It was hard not to just turn back and leave.

"We'll take our chances," Danny said boldly. "Now take us to Hades."

The man gave them a sly, toothy grin before asking, "How much money do you brats have?"

"Money?" Tucker asked in surprise. "Why one earth would we need money to see Hades? It's not like we have to schedule for a meeting or something."

Theo growled in frustration of his ignorance. As he smacked his palm against his forehead, Sam said with dismay, "To get farther into the Underworld, you have to have a obolus and pay it to Charon, the ferryman, to get across the Rivers of Hades."

"Ah, the woman is smart for her gender," the man said. "You all have to pay me one obolus for me to ferry you across the Rivers." He paused before saying stiffly, "That's five oboluses for you learning impaired brats."

The teens glared distastefully at Charon before moving into a huddle for a private discussion. They needed to gather their wits. They also didn't trust the old man. They didn't want him overhearing any information about their mission that might come back and bite them in the butts later on.

"I don't have that money," Theo declared, rubbing the aggravation out of his forehead. "I don't even have a single obolus."

"Then what are we going to do?" Tucker asked. "It's not like mister crazy is going to let us across the river any time soon." He tilted his head toward Charon to indicate who "mister crazy" was. The others agreed with nods.

"This is stupid!" Theo growled, his fists bursting into flames in his anger outburst. "We went all this way to fail because we don't have the money!"

Rhodes, silent all this time, slowly took out a pouch from inside her toga with special care. Danny saw her open her pouch. He lightly put a hand on Theo's shoulder to get his attention while Sam and Tucker watched Rhodes closely. Theo spun around with a glare directed at his friend, but stopped short as he spotted Rhodes taking out five coins from her small bag.

"Um…will this do?" she asked them quietly. She held up her palm to show them the five oboluses. They seemed to glow in the haunting light the ghosts around them gave off.

"But, dude, that's all you have," Tucker pointed out.

Rhodes sighed, knowing this sacrifice was difficult but surely needed. Years spent in captivity, and this was all she had managed to get her hands on by either finding by mistake or stealing. Before she could change her mind, she grabbed Theo's wrist and forced the coins into the demigod's hand. "You guys need it more than I do right now," she said, slowly letting Theo's wrist go.

Theo, and the rest of the group was at a lost of words. For a moment, Theo stared down at Rhodes with a look of mixed emotions on his face before curling his fingers around the coins and averting his eyes over to Danny's. Relief made them smile at each other. Because of Rhodes they were able to continue.

Charon happily accepted their toll with his annoying, mocking laugh. Giddy with his greed, the little man led the group to the first river, Acheron, the river of sorrow. Luckily, no other ghosts were waiting for a ride to their afterlife. The teens had the boat to themselves.

The teens hesitantly got into the narrow boat moored at a rotting wooden deck. The river was pitch-black, looking more like dark sea of ink than a river. The boat had a dangling lantern tied to a stick that Charon made Danny hold in the very front. It cast off a faint glow, making the flickering shadows on the stone walls large and almost creature like. Danny found himself clutching the stick with the lantern on it as he stared up at the foreboding darkness pressing down on them.

Charon pushed off the dock with a long pole used for steering and navigating through the winding passageways the rivers created. It was deathly quiet in the hollow river chambers. The rock ceiling was lofty and the rivers were wide. Most of the ride was just one big engulfing black mass.

At one point Tucker had gotten curious enough to try and stick his hand into the inky water. His fingers were barely brushing the wet surface when suddenly Theo latched onto his wrist. Tucker gave a frightened gasp at the sudden movement and the unknown strength the demigod had in his grip.

"Don't touch anything," Theo said sternly into Tucker's face.

"It's just water, man," Tucker said, trying to sound calm even after the little scare.

"I'd do what Theo says, Tuck," Danny said from the front. "He's kina the expert."

"You could have added in a please, you know," Tucker said to Theo with some hostility in his voice. He didn't like having some random person come into his life and take his spot at Danny's side of best friend. It didn't help that Theo was somewhat of a bossy jerk along with it.

"Please is not exactly in my vocabulary," Theo said with a thin smile. "If I had said please, it would have sounded like a suggestion. What I gave was an order. I'll say it again because I don't think you got it the first time. Don't touch anything." With that said, the demigod let the human's wrist go. Theo ignored Tucker's sharp glare by staring off into the darkness.

Shortly after Theo and Tucker's spiteful encounter, the boat arrived at the far end of the Underground. Another wooden dock waited for them at the rocky shore. The teens quickly got out of their seats and jumped onto the decaying wood as soon as Charon moored the boat. Hovering above the others, Danny gave Charon back his lantern pole in silence.

"If I knew you would have any, I'd wish you brats luck," Charon said with his trademark laugh. He sneered wickedly at their weary frowns before stating, "The gods must really dislike you. Well, at least if you die, you won't have to travel far." Laughing insanely at his own hysterical joke, the little man pushed away from the dock and floated back to the other side of the Underworld.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Sam muttered, glaring intensely at the spot where Charon had vanished into the blackness.

"Please don't jinx us, Sam," Tucker said.

"Don't worry," Sam said, walking after Theo who was leading the way once again. "That was the easy part," she continued with an evil grin. "Here, the horrors are never ending. It's just like I imagined! This is so cool! I never thought that all that mythology I had read over the years would actually be so true!"

"What kind of freaks do you befriend, Danny?" Theo asked Danny with a wry smile.

Danny chuckled before coming back with, "I befriend ones like you."

"Cute," Theo said slyly. "I see your pickings are greatly improving."

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Sam butted into their conversation suddenly. All of the sudden she looked confused and slightly worried.

"I've heard a thousand stories about this place," Theo stated. "Its hard to tell which ones were true and which were false. But, yeah, I have this feeling like I'm missing something from all the legends." From many years of paranoia, the half sphinx narrowed his eyes in thought as his ears began to flatten.

"I know I'm forgetting something important," Sam muttered, tapping her chin with a forefinger in perplexity.

"Hey," Danny said with an over confident shrug, "I guess we'll find out sooner or later. Actually, this trip has been pretty easy."

"Hopefully it will stay that way," Tucker chimed in from behind.

They rounded another corner of the cave hallway lit up by sizzling torches. Their light footsteps echoed off the craggy walls. With the conversation being over, it was silent and eerie in the passageway. Things didn't help when a low, protective growl rumbled past the group of teens. All five stopped dead in their tracks, paralyzed with fear of the unknown.

"Holy! What was that?" Tucker asked in a whisper to no on in particular.

"It sounded like a canine," Theo said, trying to keep his natural fear of that type of animal out of his voice.

"Cerberus," Sam said with a gasp. The others looked over to her for more of an answer. "You have to know who Cerberus is, guys," she said, her tone close to a panic. They didn't remember. "It's the three headed giant dog that blocks all the undead from passing through to Hades."

They stared blankly at her for a few seconds, processing this information as best they could.

"We're undead," Theo said slowly. He didn't like where this was going at all. He'd heard a lot of stories about this creature. Only Heracles was able to pass the massive dog with brut strength. Would they even have a chance of doing so?

Danny, putting two and two together stated solemnly, "And that makes us soon to be doggie chow. Eat up."

A/N: Whew! I'm in such a rush; I had to type the last page really quickly. I haven't fully read and reread the entire chapter, so some grammar and spelling mistakes are sure to arise. Sorry about that. So…my plan for updating is in two weeks from now. Don't quote me on that. If I do have to change it, I will post my decision in my bio. Thanks for reading! Hopefully see you readers in two weeks!


	20. Chapter 20 Selfish Bravery

A/N: Its writer's block times like these that I really have to hang onto my readers. Seriously, if it wasn't for you guys reading and reviewing, this chapter wouldn't be out till like…a month from now. Before you read, I have to say sorry if you think this chapter is a bit crappy. I kind of had to force it out because of my pathetic writer's block. Oh well. At least the fic got updated. Please review!

Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't be typing out this lame fan fiction.

Chapter 20 Selfish Bravery

Reluctant now to face this genetic fear of his, Theo asked the others in a whisper, "Do you guys want to pull out?"

Sam and Tucker glanced wearily at each other before glancing over to Danny who had come down from his hovering to stand next to them. Another low growl reverberated throughout the spacious caves, making the teens look up in tension and fear. Theo almost gasped when he felt Rhodes grab onto his arm and cling onto it as if he was to be her protective hero.

"As scary as this dog monster sounds," Danny said after a thoughtful pause, "I think I can take him." He started to walk deeper into the torch lit tunnel. The others followed right behind him.

"Dude, did you just hear that thing growl?" Tucker asked in surprise. "That thing is like a pit-bull on steroids!"

"Hey, I was able to take care of that other giant ghost dog a few months ago," Danny said, his confidence in his winning battle with Ares clouding his common sense a bit. "This should be a piece of cake."

He turned back around to see the faces of his friends' pale and their eyes staring at something above him. Before the ghost boy could even mutter a faint curse for his stupidity, something feeling like a brick wall whacked into the side of him. The hit from Cerberus's paw was so powerful; Danny was out before he even slammed into the rock wall. His friends watched in horror as Danny turned back into his human form before slumping silently to the floor.

There was a second where the four remaining teens stared up at Cerberus in total shock and panic. The massive animal took up the space of the whole tunnel, at least half a football field long and the same tall. Its three heads had the same narrowed yellow eyes that glowed with a sinister aura. It had black fur that bristled with hostility at the very scent of the living ones before it. A snake tail writhed and hissed from behind the growling canine.

"Get behind me!" Theo shouted at the mortals standing there like idiots. "Now!" he demanded, grabbing their shoulders and shoving them aside just as Cerberus struck. One of the heads made a quick strike for Sam. Theo pulled out his dagger as he jumped out of its reach just in time. With one quick swipe, Theo sliced through some skin of the head's nose.

The head yelped in pain and recoiled. As Cerberus licked his wound, Theo was busy getting Sam and Tucker out of harms way. He shoved them away from Danny against their protests to go help him. Rhodes was working like a clock. She was pulling things out of her and the others' packs for anything suiting as a weapon.

"Protect them if things go wrong," Theo whispered into Rhodes's ear before he threw himself back into battle with Cerberus. Rhodes watched him go with a defiant, cold look. She wasn't going to reveal her secret in front of these people, even if she did have a liking toward them. It wasn't worth it.

Hands bursting into flames, Theo's expression turned dark as he walked boldly at Cerberus. Its heads focused on his small form, low growls escaping from all three teeth barred mouths. Theo's heart pounded hard against his chest. He thought he was going to be sick with fear. For a moment he cursed his high feline genes. It took all of the teen's will power just to stand there with fists blazing. The term scared to death seemed like a literal one at the moment.

It wasn't till the beast struck that Theo got his nerve. All at once, his fear shifted from the beast itself to staying alive. Cerberus's heads snapped at him from all different directions constantly. Theo was all over the place, frantically jumping and running around the giant animal to dodge its sharp jaws. At times, he managed to singe the beast with some fire balls, but he was rarely doing any damage and was getting out of breath.

At one point, Theo slid right under the jaws of a strike and ended up underneath the monster. Thinking quickly, Theo shot to his feet. He blasted the sensitive stomach of the animal with some intense blasts of fire from his hands as he ran under it. Cerberus howled in the burning pain.

Instead of spinning around to snap at the demigod, the monster let its tail do its job. Sensing the strike too late, Theo spun around and held up his arm for some kind of protection. He gave a sharp gasp, squeezing his eyes shut when feeling the thick fangs of the snake sink deep into his skin. Breathing hard, Theo opened his eyes to be staring into the ones of the green skinned snake now latched onto his arm.

"Theo! It got Theo!" Sam yelled as she and the others watched from the sidelines. Rhodes looked up from where she was working and cursed under her breath. They were all going to end up dead at this rate.

The venom was blasting through his system from the second the snake had made contact. Theo dropped to his knees, gasping for breaths now. He could feel every one of his limbs going limp at a stressful rate. The venom wasn't a deadly one; it only paralyzed its victim for a few hours, a half an hour if you were a demigod. The watchers from the sidelines only looked on with despair as Theo dropped lifelessly to the ground just as the snake released its grip.

"Okay," Tucker said slowly, apparently in a brain lock, "What do we do now?"

"Please tell me you have a plan Rhodes," Sam said down to the "kid" kneeling beside her. "You've been working on something this whole time. Maybe it would be best to show us whatever you are making."

"Done!" Rhodes said, suddenly standing up. "Please tell me you know how to use these," she said to the others.

Cerberus, pleased with himself for defeating another demigod, looked around for the other undead beings threatening to pass through. It didn't take the three headed dog long to spot the group in a corner. It could smell the fear on each of them as he took a step forward.

"Take this, ugly butt!" Tucker yelled at Cerberus.

_Whack!_

Cerberus gave a small yelp in surprise. Confusion spread onto his three faces. Something had hit him in the shoulder. It had been small, but it stung like mad. What were these mortals using?

As the canine was shaking off its first scare, the teens had all split up. The three heads of the beast turned to focus on each one as they ran around for good shooting positions. There was a pause where it looked like the mortals were taking aim. It was hard to focus on them because they were so small.

"Fire!"

_Whack, whack, whack!_

Cerberus growled in anger of this new kind of attack. He took a step backwards, fighting the urge to yelp from the sting now in his other shoulder, neck, and leg. He lunged for the mortal closest to him, hoping to pick them off one by one.

Rhodes sprinted out of the way of the head of the monster as it snapped its jaws at her. She scooped up a small rock from the cave's ground and put it into her makeshift sling shot while aiming. Sam and Tucker were doing the same from their positions. They all shot Cerberus at relatively the same time, making the canine snort in anger before lunging for another mortal.

Screaming, Tucker flung his body away from the head coming at him. He didn't like this new way of fighting Rhodes was making him and Sam go through, but at least it was working somewhat and they weren't dead yet. If they could hold out till Danny woke up, Tucker knew his friend would easily take care of the beast.

"Keep moving!" Rhodes shouted at the two as she ran around Cerberus. She relentlessly shot at the animal from her close range. Cerberus was too busy with Sam and Tucker to take the time to snap at the fox spirit. It was all Rhodes needed at the moment.

Keeping an eye on the snake tail, Rhodes ran up to the fallen Theo. She skidded to her knees beside him, her face worry stricken for the demigod's health. She checked his pulse and saw it was fine but slow. She was about to try and check his snake wound when suddenly his hand grabbed her, his fingers tightly wrapping around her wrist.

"Don't touch it," he muttered from his very still position. "It's paralysis venom." The words had to be forced from Theo's practically numb lips.

"When will it wear off?" Rhodes asked.

"Too late," Theo answered. He paused before saying, "You have abilities, Rhodes. Use them."

"That means endangering my identity to these strangers," Rhodes retorted harshly. "No way!"

"You're endangering the lives of all of us by not using them!" Theo hissed back. "What matters more? Your well kept human identity or the lives of others?"

"That's not fair!" Rhodes said. Tears of emotion welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them go in front of Theo. "I've spent all my life caring about everyone else. Now I'm free and all I want is to think for myself. I don't want to care for these people. No offense, but I'd rather care for myself than for complete strangers."

Before Theo could respond, a yell came from the other side of the cave. Rhodes looked up just in time to see Tucker drop to the ground from the snake tail that hissed with pleasure for his job well done. Sam had seen the same as Rhodes and got angry. She was pitiless as she used her sling shot. Each rock that she released was fueled by her fear and rage.

"Tucker just went down," Rhodes reported to Theo, who couldn't lift his head to see what had happened.

"Help them!" Theo almost screamed at the girl.

"I am!" Rhodes yelled.

"I'm sick of your selfishness!" Theo growled. Using all his strength, he grabbed the front of Rhodes's toga to bring them face to face. Their narrowed eyes matched each other as their stubbornness prevailed. "Lives are at stake here, Rhodes! Get over yourself and do something! Now!"

"I don't take orders well," Rhodes said coolly, placing her hand on his shoulder. Before Theo knew what she was doing, Rhodes zapped him with a bolt of electricity. Theo gave a stifled yell of pain and quickly retracted the hand. He watched, cursing the Kitsune under his breath, as she ran away from him.

"Dumb half sphinx!" Rhodes said to herself as she scooped up some pebbles from the rocky floor. She took aim at Cerberus as she ranted, "He seemed so cool the first time I saw him. Figures that I get a crush on that boy! Then I was the idiot that revealed myself!" For each sentence, the girl let Cerberus feel her heightened emotions.

"I'm as stupid as he is!" Rhodes continued in a growl. Cerberus came in for her, but the fox spirit was swift and cunning in her moves. Avoiding the beast was second nature to the fox girl. "I wasn't supposed to like him!" she said, shooting a rock into one of the head's eyes. The head reared back in pain. "Curse my emotions!"

"Whoa! You're good at this!" Sam said from Rhodes's side suddenly. Rhodes jumped in surprise of Sam's presence. Sam looked Rhodes over suspiciously before stating, "You look angry, really angry. You okay?"

"I'm fine!" Rhodes exploded in a snarl. "What makes you think I'm angry? As you can see, everything is _perfectly_ under control!"

Eyes wide, Sam took a step away from Rhodes. She had never seen the kid express any more than three words at once. It came as a shock to Sam for her to see Rhodes this emotional. _Crazy little kid alert!_ She thought to herself.

Breathing hard, Rhodes rubbed her forehead as she saw Sam's freaked expression. "I…I'm sorry for – Sam!" The apology was cut short when the snake tail struck, latching onto Sam's shoulder. It didn't take long for Sam to succumb to the venom and fall limply to the ground with a grimace of pain crossing her face.

Rhodes bit her lower lip, her mind racing. She was out of time and resources. Sam and Tucker had fought bravely against Cerberus, but a bunch of little rocks weren't ever going to defeat the thing. Now the only one left standing was her. If she went down, who was there to stop Cerberus from finishing them all off by killing them? This thought scared the girl.

Glancing over to Theo, Rhodes pondered the reckless idea of using her electric abilities. Sam and Tucker couldn't see her. Theo already knew she could produce electricity, so she didn't need to be bothered by him watching. But it was Danny she worried about. He was due to come to any second now.

But what other options did she have?

Turning to face Cerberus, Rhodes looked around with uncertainty. She really didn't want to do this. In her demented and harsh world, people were never nice. Saving a life was something only told in child stories. Being selfless and kind seemed stupid and weak in Rhodes's eyes. She had already shown her pathetic side by giving them all her money. It was foolish to pull a stunt like that again. But then what was compelling her to do what those heroes did in her old bed time stories?

Letting out a pent up breath of fear, Rhodes let energy flow through her hands. From years of practice, she was highly skilled in using her electricity abilities. She could put them on display at just merely the thought. Cerberus was only a few yards away now. It was getting ready to strike. Blue energy currents buzzed around Rhodes's fingers as it collected in her palms.

"Move, kid!" Danny demanded. He shoved the girl behind him while ordering sharply, "Stay behind me…and cover your ears."

Rhodes was suddenly pushed aside. She was forced to her butt, a stunned look upon her face. Her straw hat had come off her head and sat on her shoulders because of the string attached to it. For a second she didn't notice that she was being exposed. All she could do was stare at Danny.

Taking a deep breath, Danny summed up his trump card power. No chances; this monster was going down as soon as possible. It had already done enough damage.

The ghostly wail that loudly sounded out of Danny's mouth put Cerberus into chaos. With sensitive ears, the animal was soon writhing in pain of this sharp sound that pierced all three heads' ears. At the same time, the force the power on him made the monster slam violently into the side of the cave, as if gravity had switched directions.

Theo, with the same high tuned ears as Cerberus, was in misery from the moment Danny let his howl go. Gasping in pain, he tried desperately to move his hands to his ears for just an ounce of some comfort from this noise.

Rhodes found herself like the three headed dog and the feline boy. Wincing, she put her hat back on and put her hands over her ears to try and block the blinding noise that was making all her thoughts scramble. "Please…stop!" she pleaded helplessly to Danny.

Unable to hear the fox spirit, Danny waited till Cerberus was passed out to stop his yell. Falling to his knees from the effort, Danny flashed back into his human form with a satisfied sigh. It was done.

Sweating profusely and gasping for calm breaths, Rhodes took awhile to steady herself. That howl had seemed to take a serious toll on her. "What was that?" she asked Danny in a whisper.

"I call it my ghost wail," Danny said with a grim smile. He frowned when he saw Rhodes panting and shaking uncontrollably behind him. "Hey, you look awful," he said with concern. "What did that thing do to all of you while I was out?"

"Its tail was a snake and had paralyzing venom," Rhodes explained, forcing herself to her feet and to stand next to the ghost boy. "It got to your friends."

Alarm came to Danny's face as he looked out deeper into the cave in search for his friends. His frown deepening, his eyes frantically scanned the bare, foreboding landscape of the tunnel. No one was there!

"Danny!" Rhodes screamed, bumping into him from behind. "What are those things?"

Spinning around to see what the kid was so uptight about, Danny gave a sharp yell of fear when seeing five of the creatures. These creatures were moving skeletons with yellow glowing eyes. They were fully garbed in different styles of primitive clothing, and each had a type of weapon.

Before Danny realized it, he and Rhodes were surrounded. He crouched down, as did Rhodes, both of them ready for a fight from these skeleton creatures. But they weren't there for a battle. The five just prodded the two with their sharp weapons, grunting as their only form of communication.

"I think they want us to submit and be taken somewhere," Rhodes said.

Danny thought about this. "And wherever they want to take us, I'm sure Theo and the rest will be," Danny spoke his thoughts. "Maybe they will take us to Hades himself." Rhodes's only response was a weary glance up at the ghost boy beside her. She tried to take comfort in his optimistic smile, but was failing miserably.

Sticking to his gut instincts, Danny raised his hands above his head in submission to the five skeleton creatures. Reluctantly, Rhodes raised her hands as well even though she rather would have fought off the goons than go with them at the moment. The skeleton men then started to escort the captives deeper into the grim and dark Underworld.

A/N: So…some of the stuff in here I kind of made up. One, Cerberus is usually depicted in myths without a serpent tail, but I decided to put that in besides this. But some myths do say he has one. Two, the snake tail never had paralysis venom. That was made up to make the fight scene better. And Three, those skeleton goons at the end…I have no clue if they are part of the Underworld. I made those up by getting the idea from the awesome book series _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_. Seriously, if you like Greek Mythology and don't mind an easy read kid's book, read the first one, _The Lightning Thief._ They are one of my favorite series even though I'm 17 and the books are made for 10 year olds. With that out of the way…I'll see you readers in two more weeks! Please give a review!


	21. Chapter 21 Underworld Hostage

A/N: I'm REALLY sorry about not updating last week. Mine and my mom's computers crashed and I didn't get Internet going till just yesterday. Things with the computers have been hectic for the past two weeks…making me go insane the whole time. But things are okay now. And to reward you guys for your good patience, next week I'll update again. And sorry if this chapter is a bit boring and rushed. I still have a bit of writer's block, but it is finally going away. With that said, please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom

Chapter 21 Underworld Hostage

Theo gave a shout as he was suddenly dropped out of the hands of the skeleton men carrying him, Sam, and Tucker. Being a demigod, Theo had some control over his body because most of the poison had worn off. Sam and Tucker were a different story. All they managed were moans of pain as they limply hit the cold marble floor. They were unable to show fear or pain as they were forced to stay in awkward positions they couldn't move out of.

The room they were in wasn't like the rough terrain of the cave and its tunnels. It had smooth walls and floor. Black intricately carved columns lined close to the walls. Each column held a torch, the only thing bright in the room. But those torches brought no comfort to the three captives.

"I'm guessing that 'gentle' isn't in your vocabulary," Theo muttered to the skeleton monsters standing behind him. Looking up, Theo's countenance faltered when seeing who he had been taken to.

The cold eyes of Hades glared down at the boy laid out before him. The man was sitting ram rod straight in his onyx carved throne that glittered softly from the room's torches. The god's face was a pallor color from centuries of avoiding the sun. He looked young, maybe in his yearly 30's, with jet-black hair and hard brown eyes that seemed to pierce anything they looked at. Instead of the normal toga, the man wore a long black robe to match his depressing throne, room, and pretty much his life.

Theo opened his mouth to say something, but Hades cut him off by raising a hand for silence. Frowning, Theo watched in submission as Hades steeple his fingers together and kept staring down at the demigod. There was a stern, bitter look in those eyes that made a shiver go down the half sphinx's spine.

It didn't take long for the whole room to come back to life as Danny and Rhodes were forcefully shoved through the large and cumbersome stone door by some more skeleton men. They had Rhodes with her hands behind her back with a rope binding her wrists. They were trying to do the same to Danny but with no luck. Rhodes was protesting this action as well as Danny.

"I can walk by myself!" Danny shouted at one of the skeleton guys. He spun around to get his first look of the room and stumbled as his eyes took awhile to take it all in. Both he and Rhodes stopped in their tracks as they spotted their frozen friends there on the floor.

Rhodes became passive the moment she looked up at Hades staring straight at her. She had never liked the presence the gods and goddesses had on her. Being a spirit, it was easy for her to feel different spiritual pressures anything magical or supernatural had. Gods and goddesses had a pressure that was intense. They always seemed to take the breath right out of her when she made eye contact with them. Fear usually accompanied these interactions too. What she didn't understand was that Danny had that same presence, but she had never felt afraid to be around him.

Danny was forced to his knees just as a wisp of cold air escaped his lips. He was silent, but the deadly stare he shot at Hades was a voice in all of its own. The king of the Underworld gave the teen a nonchalant look as he leisurely watched Danny get his wrists bound.

"You know I can get out of these ropes in a second, right?" Danny pointed out with a harsh undertone to his voice. Hades only turned his stare into a colder one, but never answered the question. Danny was annoyed with this god's silence, so he shouted in his frustration, "Why did you capture my friends and me? Why did you bring us here instead of just killing us?"

The room was left in silence. The teen and Hades kept up their battle of stares until the boy gave up by turning his head away and glaring into a corner, the angered look still on his face.

Looking back up at the god, Danny dropped his hostile attitude with a sigh. "I have you're symbol," he said, his voice calm. "Please, just let my friends and I leave. We didn't mean to disturb you…or your monster dog. I just wanted to give you you're symbol back."

There was a pause in the room as no one said anything. The only noise was the faint crackle of the torches on the columns. A moment later, Hades stood up from his throne, placed his hands behind his back, and slowly walked over to Danny so that he was standing right in front of the kneeling boy who boldly stared up at him. The teen stole a quick glance at the set of keys dangling from the god's belt. For a second he questioned the motives for a god to have such a random object.

"I do not permit the living to ever come down into my quarters," Hades finally said. His voice was deep but entirely unemotional, as well as his eyes that bore right down onto the teen. Danny opened his mouth to say something to defend himself, but Hades held up a hand for silence. It was strange how one tiny gesture could hold so much command.

His footsteps echoed as Hades slowly began to circle the kneeling teen. "First you come in uninvited," Hades said, his voice more stern. Danny swirled his head around to keep a close eye on the god, his face masking his fear. "Second, you pay my ferryman even though you are not dead and clearly of the living. You cross my rivers. You almost kill my watch dog. And you dare to come into my inner chamber! How can you possibly believe that you are fit to leave just as you came?"

Hades stopped in front of Danny again. This time his face was one of stone cold anger, and the eyes seemed to burn a hole the ghost boy's forehead. Danny could only look hopelessly back up at the god, his blue eyes tired and beaten.

"I should have suspected this stupidity and ignorance," Hades said with a cruel sneer. He turned his back on Danny and walked up to his throne, but he did not sit. Instead he cast his cold eyes over the teens while saying, "You are merely children. Stupid, pathetic children."

Rhodes looked down at the floor, agreeing with the god. She had been foolish to blindly follow these teens into the Underworld. Everything had gone downhill ever since she escaped. Maybe she should have just accepted her role in life and stayed there.

Unlike the girl, Danny and Theo were outraged to hear such an insult. They had gone through so much to get to his point. They weren't brainless kids doing this as a joke or for fun. They had stared death in the face countless times on this dangerous journey. To say that they were pathetic and incapable to doing the job right made both their blood boil. They were determined to finish the quest…no matter what. And the god of the Underworld wasn't going to stop them.

"You think we are doing this for fun?" Theo barked right at the god, his eyes narrowed to show his annoyance. Hades focused his attention on the boy. His harsh eyes were just daring the demigod to go on. "We almost got killed just to give you back your precious symbol. We came because you expected us. Now, we expect at least a chance to leave. Let us go!"

"No," Hades said simply. "You came in here; the rule is that you don't return. Those are the rules!"

"Rules?" Danny asked, confused and outraged. "We don't know of any rules."

"You children are all ignorant," Hades said simply. "I can not rewrite the rules because of your clueless ness."

Theo suddenly leapt out of his paralyzed position on the floor. He had picked the perfect time to act. Hades had thought that he was still numb and didn't expect the teen to move so quickly. The feline boy landed next to the god, grabbed the ring of keys off his belt, and flung them straight at Danny with a quick, "Catch!"

Instantly turning ghost, Danny phased through his binds and grab the keys with one hand. He wasted no time in throwing some well aimed ectoplasm balls at some skeleton men coming in for him.

As the ghost boy was taking out his own enemies, Theo dealt with avoiding the god of the Underworld. As Hades tried to grab the defiant demigod, Theo spun around the throne. Hades was quick to follow. Letting his feline genes do what they were meant to do, Theo sprung high into the air. Using one hand to hold onto the back of the onyx throne, Theo flipped right over the throne and landed on the other side.

"Keys!" Theo shouted at Danny, his hand outstretched and ready to catch.

"I'd love to hear your side of this plan!" Danny yelled back, whipping the keys back at Theo.

Theo caught the jingling ring and spun back around to Hades. With one hand Theo held the keys; the other hand was consumed with flames. "Stop!" Theo shouted at the god. Hades was quick to obey, seeing the serious situation before him. The metal keys were being threatened to melt from Theo's fiery ability.

"You are only digging your grave deeper, Theo," Hades said, his face grave. "I command you to give the keys back."

Theo's eyes shifted around the room with uncertainty in his motives. All eyes, excepted for the paralyzed Sam and Tucker, were pinned solely on him. They were all watching and waiting for his next move. It was all up to him. The poor boy looked like a cornered cat.

"You'll get your keys back," Theo said with his voice shaky. He made eye contact with Danny. The ghost boy nodded, giving his friend the go-ahead. Theo continued. "First, let's make a deal."

"The crafty messenger god, Hermes, might make deals with the lowly mortals," Hades said, "but I do not shake the hand unless it is fair."

"Good," Theo said, that wry smile returning to his face. "Here are the rules. You let us go. We give you your symbol and keys back."

"No," Hades replied calmly. "The rules say you stay."

"Really?" Theo said, raising his flaming hand closer to the dangling keys. Hades returned with a hard glare. "You're not in a good position to negotiate right about now," Theo said. "Now, to make this more interesting, let's say I don't give your keys back. If I do, feel free to send your Furies after us."

"You want to make this interesting?" Hades said, an evil smile crossing his lips. "Fine. I will only give you an hour to get out exactly how you came in. I will not accept any other offer."

Theo averted his gaze over to Danny and Rhodes. Danny shrugged. He was just thankful that they were given a chance to get out of there. Rhodes was more in shock. She couldn't believe that Theo was making a deal with a god. When she and Theo made eye contact, though, her fears seemed to vanish. She flashed the demigod a sly smile, one she knew to pick up his webbing confidence.

"Okay, you got yourself a deal," Theo said. "Danny, give the god his symbol. We'll give the keys back at the end of the hour."

As Danny opened his magical sack and rummaged through it for the symbol, Hades watched with critical eyes. He took his scepter from Danny while saying, "You unwise mortals do not know who you are dealing with."

"If I did, I wouldn't be even returning the gods' symbols," Danny said with a thin smile.

"Danny, let's move!" Theo shouted over to his friend from where he was kneeling next to Tucker's motionless body. "Get Sam," he commanded as Danny flew over. "I'll grab Tuck."

"I can easily just grab all of you guys and phase us through the earth," Danny said.

"You have to come out _exactly_ how you came in," Hades repeated, his wicked smile returning. "That means no taking your friends and flying them out of here the easy way."

"That's ridiculous!" Danny hissed under his breath at Theo. "It took us forever to get down here by walking."

"Then we better start running," Rhodes said to the boys.

Danny and Theo looked up at her and were silent for a brief moment. Then reality sunk in and the boys scrambled into action. They both got a paralyzed body on their back and started running with Rhodes in the lead. They sprinted out of the throne room and back into the dim, moist cave.

It didn't take long for the boys to realize that they didn't know which direction to take. There were many other pathways in the tunnel now. They hadn't memorized which way they had gone when being captured by those skeleton men.

"Stop!" Theo shouted at one point. He and Danny quickly halted to greedily gasp for air. The two on their backs had enough feeling to faintly move their heads and make grim faces. Rhodes skidded to a stop in front of the boys, spinning around on a heel to see what was going on.

"I have no idea where we are going," Theo said in between intakes of air.

"Yeah," Danny seconded. "I don't remember much of the course those skeleton goons took us through."

"You guys can't smell it?" Rhodes asked in confusion.

"Smell what?" the boys asked in union.

"The water," Rhodes answered. She sniffed the air like a predator searching for its prey. "I can smell the river," she said.

"Dude," Danny said, slightly freaked out. "You can smell that? What are you? A dog?"

Theo was silent. He looked back and forth between Rhodes and Danny, unsure of what to say or do at this point. The teen respected Rhodes's right to speak for herself. She had the right to keep who she was a secret…even if she was pretty selfish about it.

When Rhodes was out of words to say to respond to Danny's comment, Theo butted in with, "We don't have time for pointless talk!" He shoved Danny ahead saying, "Let's move, people!" Before Rhodes got a chance to run to the front again, Theo gave her a hard look. She owed him one. Her small smile told him that she knew it too.

They soon found themselves stopping at the dark bank of the river. For a moment they stared out into the foreboding obscurity before them. Rhodes had led them this far. She was clueless as to what to do next. Theo's mind was furiously going to work, but he was at a loss as well. How were they going to get back to the other bank without a boat?

"Stand back," Danny ordered the two before sitting Sam down on the ground. Theo and Rhodes watched in surprise and wonder as Danny worked his magic. Moving his hands back and forth, the ghost kid tapped into his cold ice abilities.

"He's just full of surprises," Rhodes muttered to Theo with a grin. Theo found himself smiling back.

The moment didn't last long, though. Danny hastily made the makeshift ice boat in only a few seconds. He wasted no time shoving it off the bank and into the cool, black waters. He held the boat steady as Theo picked up Sam and Tucker and placed them in. It was just big enough for all five of them.

Shoving off, Danny forgot about some kind of stick to steer the boat with. He frowned in frustration as he tired a swipe with his hand for the edge of the wooden dock and missed. He guessed that the current would at some point get them to the other shore.

"Jeez! This boat is freezing my butt off!" Tucker complained suddenly.

"Sorry I didn't come with tree growing abilities, Tuck," Danny said with a smile that couldn't be seen in the complete darkness. As if noticing this, Theo let a hand burst into flame for their only source of light.

"What is that sound?" Rhodes asked.

"I hear it too," Theo said uneasily. His ears were twisting to pick up more of the sound.

"You have good hearing too?" Danny asked Rhodes with a teasing grin. "What other secrets are you hiding from us?"

"Cut it out," Theo snapped at Danny, saving Rhode's butt once again. "This is serious. The sound we are hearing is rushing water." Danny was slow on the intake. He just stared back at Theo with misunderstanding in his blue eyes.

"Don't tell me," Sam muttered from her still position beside Tucker, "We're heading right toward a waterfall. There is _always_ a waterfall!"

"Waterfall seems about right," Theo said dully. He and Danny had jumped through so many hoops; he really should have expected this one.

"Is ordering everyone to hang on cliché at this point?" Danny asked the team, his sarcastic smile looking more sinister in the dim light than comical.

It didn't take long for the others to hear the rush and roaring over the river as they closed in on the waterfall. They couldn't see a thing in the narrow tunnel their boat had slipped into. Theo's little light was just bright enough to see the grim expressions on all five of the friends' faces. Apprehension was the only word to describe the mood.

And suddenly they were upon the drop. The ice cold sides of the boat were clutched as for a second the boat tipped unsteadily on the edge of the black pit. There was that second where it was just like the very top of a rollercoaster. Gravity hasn't caught up to you just yet. The world seems paused for that one frightening moment where you really can't believe you got on that seat and volunteered for the crazy ride.

Then there is the plunge.

A/N: There is always a waterfall. Where there is water there is always a waterfall. As a reminder, I'll be updating next week…hopefully. I'll do my best. And just because I feel random, I had a dream last night where I was Danny Phantom. Yeah, strange because I was a girl in a cartoon character's guy body, but it was awesome. I flew around and beat up bad ghosts. It's odd. I've never been able to remember a dream as vivid as that one. Oh well. My rant for tonight is done. If you ever had a Danny Phantom type dream, tell me about it in a review if you like. See you awesomely awesome readers next week!


	22. Chapter 22 The Hamster Boat

A/N: My writer's block is still kinda there. I don't know. I don't actually like this chapter, but I can't come up with anything else at this point. Sometimes when you're stuck, you just got to write something to get unstuck. This is the best I could come up with. It's good, just not my best. But I promised you guys a chapter, so here it is. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Danny, Sam, and Tucker are not mine. The rest is just a weird thing called my imagination I try to create in my spare time.

Chapter 22 The Hamster Boat

Screaming incoherently, the five teens plummeted downward into a black abyss. For a brief moment all of them had the frightening thought that the hole they were falling into was bottomless. But that idea was quickly put to rest when their boat smashed into the pool beneath the small waterfall.

The contact of the boat against water forced the teens to the cold ice floor with cries of pain. The ice giving none of them the support they needed, the group all whacked into each other as the boat was shot down a narrow canal at a deathly speed. The waterfall had been nothing compared to the dangers that were ahead.

"We can't survive this!" Theo shouted at Danny over the roar of the rushing water.

"I know, I know!" Danny barked back before being forced into the demigod as the boat crashed into the wall. Gasping, Theo slipped on the ice. Acting fast, Danny grabbed Theo's wrist and prevented him from falling into the magical waters of the Underworld.

"Do something!" Theo demanded as soon as he was safely back on the boat.

Before Danny could respond, the boat blasted into a new tunnel. The floor of the river was hauntingly illuminated by a certain type of rock that produced a dim blue color. But with the entire floor made up of these paranormal rocks, the whole tunnel was alight with the faint blue. The faces of the five kids were lit up from beneath, giving them all the illusion of looking like the ghosts waiting for their boat ride deeper into the Underworld.

It would have been a pretty cool moment except for the fact that now they could see the rocks and whitewaters coming up.

Acing on pure impulse, Danny tapped into his ice powers again. He knew he couldn't just fly his friends out of there. The rules said they had to go back the way they came. They would have to endure the river.

Eyes turning the same color as the glowing waters, Danny focused all his energy on his ice powers. Moving his hands around in swirls and circles, the teen set to work with the walls of the boat around him. Precise and direct in his mastered movements, Danny formed their boat into a giant thick ice ball with him and the others in the hollow inside.

"What are we? Hamsters?" Tucker screamed.

"Do I even want to know what a hamster is?" Theo yelled to no one in particular. He was on his bloody and numb hands and knees, trying to control his body as the ball spun uncontrollably down the river waterway.

"Here come the rocks!" Sam cried in warning.

The ball harshly crashed into the rough and stable boulders, spinning the ice hamster ball in crazy directions. Screaming, the teens in the ball were violently thrown around in their ice prison. Sam and Tucker barely had any control over where they were thrown. It didn't really matter if they did have command over themselves. Danny, Theo, and Rhodes had just as painful rides.

At one point, Rhodes found herself on top of Theo. They ended up staring at each other like idiots. Finally, they just smiled, finding their situation rather humorous. It wasn't every day you could say you came to the Underworld and rode on its rivers in a giant ice ball.

"Might want to keep the hat on a bit tighter," Theo said slyly, pointing at her crooked straw hat that was showing off a bit of her left pointy fox ear.

Rhodes was quick to fix her great mistake before giving the guy a curious look. "You confuse me," she finally stated after a pause for thought.

The ice ball spun again, throwing the two in separate directions.

Rolling head over heels, Theo bumped right into Danny. They gave sharp cries of pain as their bodies smashed into each other. Groaning in discomfort, the two just stayed where they were and rubbed their throbbing heads, mentally getting prepared for the next installment of hurt.

Thankfully, that moment didn't come.

Their ball of ice slowly floated out of the dangerous tunnel and into the large, smooth flowing lake that would take them back to the first shore. The faint glow of the rocks from beneath turned into complete blackness. For a few seconds, the group just laid there in their floating ball, breathing hard.

"Well…that was fun," Theo finally said from out of the darkness.

"I don't know about you," Tucker said, "But I'm all funned out."

"I second that," Sam muttered. The others moaned in agreement, too bruised and beat up to speak.

After a few minutes of the group getting their wits back, a light appeared up ahead in the river. Danny and Theo melted off the upper half the ice globe with a few well placed fire and ectoplasm balls. Once the team didn't have an ice wall blocking their vision, they saw the shore with the millions of ghosts standing and waiting. The current was taking them right toward the shore.

"Are you two able to move yet?" Danny asked Sam and Tucker while they were waiting anxiously to get their ice boat to shore.

"I can move my arm!" Tucker said with uncanny excitement. He waved it around to show off his marvelous ability.

Danny and Theo sighed at the pitiful sight. If they couldn't move, that meant Danny and Theo would have to carry the two all the way up the hole in the earth that was the only entrance and exit of the Underworld. It was going to be a lot of work running the whole way with some dead weight latched onto their backs.

After a few painful minutes of just waiting on the slow current, the boat finally knocked against solid ground. Careful not to touch the mystic waters, Theo and Danny unloaded the paralyzed pair of mortals from the boat. Rhodes helped to keep the boat from rocking and doing what she could to lend a hand.

Picking up a body, Danny and Theo walked as quickly as they could through the throng of waiting ghosts. They only made it a few steps when suddenly a figure came flying out of nowhere. It whacked right into Theo, sending the demigod, mortal, and surprise attacker to the ground.

"I got them! I got them!" Charon yelled in giddy triumph as he held the ring of keys he had stolen up high. "I got th-."

The old man got cut off as Theo plowed right into his stomach, knocking the little guy right off his feet. They went rolling, yelling incoherently at each other and fighting for possession of the keys. They were like animals, kicking and biting where they could. The others just stared in shock for a moment, too surprised to act.

"Let. Go!" Theo growled through clenched teeth, finally getting a good kick in. His foot violently colliding with the Charon's head, the demigod knocked the guy's skull right off. The vertebrae snapped like a twig would. The head tumbled off the neck and landed behind the body with a sickening thud.

Theo let out a loud yelp of horror at this sight. The rest of the group screamed and backed up in fear. Getting to his feet, Theo quickly joined his team, holding the set of keys tightly.

The head on the floor suddenly opened his eyes. The group screamed in union again, totally freaked at the sight of a living severed head. The crazy eyes of the old man glared at the team of teens before saying, "Curse you brats! You will regret doing that!"

"Um…let's get out of here before he finds his head," Danny said to the rest of the group. "That's creepy with at least five E's."

"Agreed," the team said in union.

As Charon's head yelled at his body that was running around like crazy to find him, the teens switched into high gear and took off as quickly as possible to the stairs. They flew up them, not caring if they fell or not. The picture of Charon with his head getting knocked off was all the reminder they needed to make them go a bit faster.

They made good timing at going up the hole. It was hard for the boys because everything was up hill and they didn't have the time to stop or slow down. They had less than 45 minutes to get to the top. They knew that they were going to cut it very close.

"Small break!" Theo gasped about half way up. The three that were running skidded to stops. Sweat pored off of his and Danny's faces. As they gasped for air, Rhodes looked up and down to calculate their distance and pace. She guessed they had around 15 minutes left. If they kept going at the same pace, they were going to make it. Adjusting her sweat laden straw hat, the Kitsune frowned at the group.

A low rumble disturbed the teens out of their break. Looking down with wearisome eyes, the group saw that the end of the rock pathway they were on was starting to fade into the wall at a drastic rate. The boys didn't need any more encouragement. They ran like the devil himself was on their tails…which wasn't far from the truth. It looked like Hades wanted them to lose this challenge either dead or alive.

"Faster, guys!" Rhodes urged the boys when she saw them start to tire out and drop a bit behind. She looked back to see the fading pathway catching up with them. She needed to make them go faster or they were going to fall!

Slowing her pace till she was behind them, the Kitsune said to Theo and Danny, "Both of you need to stay in front of me. Now move!"

Instead of complaining, the boys urged their weakening bodies to go faster. Using his flying abilities in between steps, the ghost boy pulled ahead of the other two. By the time they were near to finishing, the three were sprinting to stay ahead of the fading pathway.

At the last second, Rhodes tripped over a loose rock and hit the ground hard, a sharp cry coming from her. A second later the rocks under her vanished and she was plummeting into the dark abyss. Blackness seemed to engulf her. The only thing she could do was scream.

"Rhodes!" Theo screamed in desperation after the falling girl, his right hand stretched out as if to catch her. Danny was already there to save. He shoved Theo with Tucker on his back to the dirt ground where he had put Sam down. Theo sat on his butt next to Danny's friends, wide eyed in fear for the Kitsune's life.

Danny forced himself to fly faster. He shot downward at break neck speed. The wind blasted harshly into his face, making tears come to his eyes. But the boy didn't dare take them off his target falling ahead of him.

Flying up underneath the girl, Danny switched his direction of flight suddenly. Grabbing the "kid" bridal style, the ghost boy shot back upward, his goal now the bright circle above that was somehow getting smaller. Heart racing faster, Danny realized that Hades was making the hole close up on him! He was going to be buried alive!

"Hold on!" Danny commanded Rhodes sharply without even glancing at her. He felt her small hands clasp tighter onto him as he sped up. Going faster than he knew he could, Danny clenched his teeth together to keep the apprehension of possible defeat inside him.

With little time to spare, Danny blasted out of the tiny hole in the ground. Seeing that everyone was safe, Theo threw the ring of keys into the closing hole right as it shrunk into nothing. Danny slowed his pace as he dropped back down toward the barren earth that used to be the entrance to the Underworld.

Rhodes fell to her hands and knees the second she was placed down on solid ground. Gasping for a steady breath, the girl tried to get over the fact that she wasn't going to die. She was alive! She had really thought that she was going to die. It was strange, the feeling of a second chance.

"Uh…Rhodes…you're hat," Theo mumbled to her, his voice hesitant.

Looking up, Rhodes found the whole group staring at her with wide eyes of shock, jaws slack.

"What?" she whispered in fear and confusion.

Danny and his friends didn't respond. They were too shocked at this new revealing to speak or even change their frozen expressions. Rhodes turned here confused, violet eyes to Theo for answers. He looked distraught, his hands grasping onto strands of his hair, a grimace on his face.

Something was wrong. But what?

Slowly bringing a hand up to her exposed ears, the fox spirit was overcome with fear. Feeling that her straw hat, her comforting disguise, was gone, Rhodes's eyes widened. Her furry red pointy ears were stiff to her touch. Her long, auburn colored hair was falling out of her braid. The howling wind swept her hair in its delicate hands, blowing it out of its braid completely and into her fear-stricken face.

"Oh my gods, no!" she whispered in disbelief to herself.

"Dude, you're not a dude!" Tucker finally said, stating the obvious as usual. "Why didn't you tell us you were a girl…or part animal for that part?"

Rhodes scrambled to her unsteady feet, backing away from the group like an animal cornered by a hunter. The group, now coming off their first initial shock, tried to calm the now scared fox spirit. They didn't understand what was going on, but they did have the right to ask their questions.

"Wait, Rhodes, calm down," Danny ventured, trying to sound reassuring. "We're just a bit confused. Why did you disguise yourself like that? Don't you trust us?"

Rhodes was quiet for a moment, looking at each of the teens while breathing hard. She backed up some more while whispering harshly, "I don't trust anyone! You weren't supposed to find out!"

"Hold on, hold on," Danny said, calmly, seeing that the girl was ready to take off any second now. He personally liked the "kid". She had been creepy, but now he understood why. He didn't want to make her run away.

"Please, Rhodes, these guys won't do you harm," Theo said. "Trust me."

"I trust no one!" Rhodes repeated, backing up some more, as if they were going to pounce on her and eat her flesh.

Theo frowned, hating himself for his bad choice of words. He just wanted Rhodes to calm down. Her privacy and comfort had suddenly been stolen from her at a very vulnerable time in her life. For so many years she had hidden herself from the rest of the world, afraid and knowing of its cruelty and wickedness. Her mind had been warped and morphed into one of a perpetually mistrustful being. She was emotionally unstable.

Meeting Theo and the others like him had opened up a little of Rhodes. For some brief moments while she was with them, she had trusted and given herself to them. That act alone was stepping out of her comfort zone. With some given time, she could have changed her train of thought and had revealed her true identity to them. But this force had driven her mind over the edge of any reason.

The question now was how far was going to be her fall.

"Rhodes, you know us," Sam said, a strange sense of compassion in her voice. Danny rarely heard her talk to another person that way. Usually she saved it for her plants. "We would never hurt you," Sam continued. "Like Danny said, we're just confused."

"You're all lying!" Rhodes screamed, tears were threatening to escape her eyes, but she was strong enough to will them away. She took some hasty steps away from the group, horrified when seeing Danny and Theo take steps toward her. "Stay back!" she commanded.

"Whoa! Calm down!" Tucker shouted back. "You're blowing this way out of proportion."

"No!" Rhodes bellowed, at the tip of her breaking point. "I should have never met any of you," she sobbed, the tears running like small rivers down her flushed cheeks. The Kitsune paused, struggling with her internal tormenting emotions as the group before her watched the girl with pity and aching hearts.

"I'm sorry!" she screamed finally, shaking her head from side to side as if to force the emotions away. Her tears were left dangling in the air, little diamonds that hovered for a fleeting moment until dropping to a barren ground. After her disclaimer, the girl took off into a sprint away from the only ones in her life she could have called friends.

Taking it upon himself to set the mess straight, Theo started forward to chase after the girl he had somehow come to care about. He had only taken a few steps when he realized he had nothing to say to this girl. No one could say anything to her to make right what she was going through. She needed to settle this by herself. She trusted them. She didn't know it yet, but she would come back to them. Theo knew she would.

"Isn't anyone going to go after her?" Tucker asked. "That girl needs help!"

Danny sighed, saying, "I don't think we can help her, Tuck. But I think she's resourceful enough to find us if she ever changed her mind." He expressed an ironic, bitter smile before saying to himself, "Her name meant roses. It was so obvious. Funny how we were so blind."

"I already knew," Sam stated dryly.

The boys raised their eyebrows, turning their skeptical eyes to the single girl in the group now. She smiled slyly back up at them, knowing their doubt. "We girls," she said, her smile widening, "We have this thing called common sense."

Rolling their eyes with groans, the boys all looked off; ashamed at how badly they had seen Rhodes's true identity. And with Sam telling them she had known of it from the start wasn't doing any good to their pride. It was like a sledge hammer to their high self esteem.

"It took awhile for me to figure it out," Sam explained. "But after some close observation, like with the way she walked and her eating habits that didn't match the one's of a blinder gone wild, she kind of gave it away. I guess girls are more observant than guys in that area." She grinned again before adding, "Don't feel too bad, boys."

"Why didn't you tell us you knew she was really a girl?" Danny asked in wonder.

"Same reason why I didn't," Theo muttered, staring at the dirt ground before him. He didn't lift his eyes to meet the others'. "It was her own secret, her own life. She had all the right to keep it from us. We barely even knew each other."

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Tucker said, deeply confused now, "You're telling me you knew she was an animal girl too?"

"I didn't know she was half fox," Sam quickly corrected. "I had no clue till that hat came off."

"We accidentally bumped into each other the other day while she had her hat off while hunting," Theo explained with a heavy sigh. "She didn't want me to tell you guys. I guess I just never found the need to."

The four looked at each other silently, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

"Well," Danny said, running a hand through his white hair. He flashed back into his human form before concluding solemnly, "I think we should get on our way to Mount Olympus. We have two days to get there, and I'm sure Zeus and his wife is anxious to see us."

A/N: Okay, so this fan fic is getting on its way to being done. I'm thinking at least three or four more chapters. That means…new fic soon! Yay! This fic has shown me how fun Danny Phantom fics can be, so I'm working on the plot for a new one…one rated T. Oh yes. It will be an awesome fic. A detailed summary will be posted in the next chapter, which will be in two weeks. Till then, have a flipping awesome Thanksgiving. Hope your schools give you enough time to enjoy a holiday. See you guys in two weeks!


	23. Chapter 23 Shocking Relief

A/N: Hope you readers had good Thanksgivings. Food is good, I'll say that much. Too bad the break is going by too quickly for me. Oh well. Here is another chapter. It's not terribly exciting. I'm trying to rush it along so I can get to my finale chapter. But it was fun. My summary of my next Danny Phantom fic will be at the ending author's note. Enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: The plot, yes. Theo, yes. Rhodes, yes. Danny Phantom, no.

Chapter 23 Shocking Relief

An hour left.

Sighing, that was the thing occupying most of Theo's thoughts at three in the morning. He would have been fine with guard duty that night if it wasn't for him and Danny's hectic lifestyle for the past two weeks. Most of those nights required some lookout up at the dead of night. And if there was none needed, Theo was up worrying about the future and making plans. Either way, the sandman was trying to catch up with the half sphinx, threatening to pull those heavy eyelids shut.

A flash of lightning made the teen gasp out of his half sleep. Rubbing his face with a hand to wake himself up, Theo stared out at the driving rain.

It had been poring like this for his whole night shift. The usual forest sounds of night were gone, blocked by the fat, cold rain drops being forced out of the black sky. Everything was wet and cold. Even under the tarp the group was under, Theo shivered once in a while as a strong gust of air blasted through.

Sitting there, bored and extremely tired, Theo's mind began to wander. He rarely gave himself time for these kinds of things, his life busy with map making and hidden bitterness. But now, since Danny came, he was open to thinking back to his childhood in Egypt. Actually, it was nice to go back to those happy and innocent times.

Since his thoughts were so focused on staying awake, Theo was glad to think of something like the old days. In Egypt, he would sleep most of the day, like any cat would. When he was a kid, though, he spent most his time finding new ways to get out of chores and school to sleep in someplace hidden. Many times he was successful, to the frustration of his teachers. But at times he was caught and punished.

Ra always had the worst punishments for him. One time it was a whole day without food or water. Jeez, the boy hated the god for that. Their dislike for each other officially started that day, Theo remembered.

It was funny how his life was so different now. The feline boy actually let out a small smile at the memories. Instead of dodging the teachers for some extra Z's and to just tick the grownups up, he was now striving to keep a god and mortal war from happening with a ghost kid and his friends from the future. Crazy, but he liked his life better now than ever.

Resting his forehead on his bent knees, Theo was starting to nod off. He told himself to keep awake, but the sound of heavy rain hitting the tarp and leaves was like a rhythmic hum that was a lullaby to his dreams. Eyes closing, Theo was out. For a second he was asleep.

There was another blast of white light as lightning cut through the air. Theo was blissfully unaware of the person standing outside the tarp. The onlooker was lit up for a brief moment of flashing light, but no one was there to see the ominous figure.

A second later, the loud boom of thunder sounded throughout the wet and drenched forest. It wrestled Theo out of his sleep.

Terribly groggy, the boy lifted his heavy head with a displeased frown. The expression was frozen for a moment as Theo peered through the darkness at the figure standing there as if it was a statue.

Then it dawned on him.

A short, wild yelp came from the teen as his senses flew fully awake. Shaking off the tendrils of sleep, the teen scrambled to his feet as another flash of light blasted across the foreboding sky. The black silhouette of the figure momentarily showed itself to the alarmed teen. But that one glimpse burned itself into Theo's memory, making him stop the shout rising in his throat.

The air between them seemed to buzz as if lightning was about to strike either one. Theo felt the power in the atmosphere but was fearful to breathe for it could disrupt the stillness between him and stranger outside. The rain kept coming down, uncaring and undisturbed by these forces staring each other down.

Gulping down a lump in his throat, Theo summed up his forgotten courage and ventured out a hand to the stranger. "Rhodes?" he said, his voice resounding with the hope he didn't want to show so much of.

Another flash from the sky and then the stranger was gone, vanished into the deep foliage of the forest.

"Not again," Theo whispered to himself between clenched teeth, "I'm not letting you leave again."

Leaving the others to their blissful sleep, Theo bounded out from under the tarp and plunged fearlessly into the wet darkness of the wood. The ice freezing rain pelted him relentlessly, blinding him from his first step. Grimacing from the cold, Theo pushed his way through shrubs and low hanging branches. He had to leave all his tracking to his nose, which didn't help much because the smells were diluted from all the water.

But all these discomforts were nothing compared to the helplessness he had felt the day before when she left them. Something, he didn't know what, was practically pushing him along the dense pathway. He wanted to know what this feeling was. He wanted to know why he had never experienced it before or why he could not express it the way he wanted to.

Confused but determined, the teen ran along like a mad man after this lost girl. It didn't take long for him to catch up. One moment he was running, the next, he slammed right into her. They gave cries of pain that could barely be heard in the unremitting down pore from the unforgiving skies.

"Rhodes, don't go!" Theo, the first to recover from the collide, yelled to her above the rain. Not wanting her to run away, he grabbed her wrist to keep her near him. "Please, just hear me out!"

"No!" Rhodes cried back. To get away, the fox spirit let out a small jolt of her ability. Unfortunately, she hadn't taken into consideration the rain. Before she could stop it, she had sent a volt of electricity right at Theo's soaked body.

_Zap!_

A flash of pain erupted throughout Theo's body. Letting out a cry, the teen was thrown backwards and away from Rhodes as the air around them exploded. Theo hit a tree with a wince and was out before his head hit the soggy ground beneath him.

Waking up, Theo felt like all his muscles had been fried. He hissed in pain as he struggled to his hands and knees. His whole body felt weak, like all the energy had been zapped out of him. Coughing on some smoke, the boy realized he had just been electrocuted…and survived with barely a scratch!

"Thank the gods, Theo!" Rhodes was yelling at him. "You're alive!"

Theo looked up into the violet eyes of the young vixen. Apparently he hadn't been out for more than a few minutes. It was still deathly dark, and the rain was coming down in torrents. Even with the weather at its worst, Theo still felt relieved and happy. She had stayed with him. She _really_ did like him and the others.

"Hades didn't want me," Theo muttered, his throat sore from the smoke. He gave her a surprising smile when adding, "Next time you want to kill me, make sure you finish the job."

_Smack!_

"Don't scare me like that again!" Rhodes screamed into the slapped boy's face, furious with the half sphinx. "I seriously thought I had killed you!"

Theo shook his head to get over the shock of the blow. Frowning, he looked back at Rhodes kneeling in front of him and barked back, "Well, you weren't the one getting fried like bacon! You deserved the scare!"

Rhodes raised a hand for another slap. Theo flinched. Eyes softening, the Kitsune slowly dropped her hand when seeing his reaction. Through the down pore, the pair watched each other in silence for a while. They looked like drowned rats, soaking wet, mud splattered over their faces and clothes, droopy ears, and hair in their faces.

Theo painfully sat up on his knees so he was at Rhodes's eye level. He took her small, slender hands in his and told her quietly, "I…I don't want you to go again." He paused, searching for words out of the awkward stream of them in his mind. "Please, come back to the group and help us," he finally said. "I…we miss you. I won't take no for an answer. You're gonna have to zap me till I'm dead."

Their eyes met again, and they smiled shyly. Waiting for her response, Theo tried to read the girl's expression, but he couldn't detect anything in either her eyes or face. She was a mystery to him, a mystery he didn't mind taking some time to one day figure out.

Suddenly the girl wrapped her arms around his chest in a tight hug. Stunned because he was caught off guard, Theo didn't react at first to this strange gesture of trust. It wasn't till he heard her cry into his chest that he put his own arms around the little form holding onto him.

They didn't need to say anything. Theo could literally feel the relief wash off Rhodes as she sobbed into him. He knew and had felt her emotions when he had last confronted Ra and survived the encounter. It was like all that built up tension and bitterness of a past life was lifted away and a new, clean life was presented to you. That feeling of liberation was so great; it could never be explained with words. For Rhodes, it was the flow of tears that showed it all. Theo understood and let her weep; he let her cry till the tears could fall no more.

-The Next Day-

"I feel stupid," Sam complained from where she was hidden behind some thick bushes.

"Sam, you have to wear it," Danny said flatly. "I'm sure it looks fine on you."

"I like mine," Tucker said, stepping out of his own protection of bushes with his toga on. He put his hands on his hips and stood up straight as if posing for the spectators staring at him. Rhodes hid a giggle behind a hand. Theo and Danny caught her, though, and couldn't help smiling at each other. It was nice to have Rhodes back in the group…the _real_ Rhodes. Even though she had been gone for around a day, they had missed her quiet company.

"How do I look? Did I pin it up right? Please tell me if I look like an idiot," Sam said in a rush as she slowly walked out of her makeshift dressing room.

Instead of her traditional dark, modern clothing to portray her Goth side, the girl had wrapped a sheet of light purple cloth around her to blend in with the locals of the time period. She brushed off make-believe dust from her new outfit out of nervousness. She hated to be under the eyes of so many people…one of the reasons she was Goth.

"You look…great!" Danny said, not realizing that he was staring.

Placing a hand on Danny's shoulder, Theo pushed the ghost boy out of the way to shake him out of whatever day dream he was having. "You look fine," Theo told her, shooting Danny a knowing grin. "Why would you care anyways?"

"There's a difference between looking like a total idiot and looking different," Sam huffed, explaining her strange behavior to the others. She then turned to Rhodes and asked, "I don't trust boys telling me their opinions. Thank god we have another girl in this group now. How do I look?"

Rhodes grinned at Sam's strong words. In this time period, she had never heard a girl so bold. It was nice to be around someone so comfortable with their role as a female. Sam's confidence and independence was a good model for Rhodes to look for in herself. She wanted to be like that. She wanted to be able to stand in a crowd and be satisfied…even happy with the way she was.

"You look fine, Sam," Rhodes told her. She tapped her chin with a forefinger before adding, "But you might want to have it a bit tighter in the mid section. You look Egyptian, so you need the bottom half long but with a bigger slit down the side. Egyptian women can be more revealing than the Greek."

"Oh, then can you help me with the pins? I'm a bit clueless," Sam said, leading Rhodes back to behind the bush.

"How girls find the time to know these things confuses me," Theo muttered, annoyed with the ladies taking too much time on the simple task of dressing themselves.

"Dude, they are like that no matter what time period you're in," Tucker said with a grin. He shrugged before adding, "But I don't know what Sam is complaining about. I think this toga is nice a breezy." He smiled, waiting for responses that were sure to come.

"Oh gosh!" Danny said, smacking his forehead in embarrassment. Theo and Rhodes just stared at him with wide eyes.

-A Few Hours Later-

"This place is amazing!" Sam marveled at the sight of the city. Her eyes were alive with delight as she took in the sights of old, marble and mud brick buildings. Statues delicately carved by hand standing proud and tall. Even just the people walking around with different dress and apparel made her wonder.

"You should have seen Athens," Danny told her, grinning. "Theo and I were at the Acropolis and saw the whole thing."

"Lucky!" she told him, giving him a grin of her own.

Theo butted in with, "Not when you have an evil god putting a spell on Danny, almost killing him, chasing us up the mountain, and having to rely on a goddess to bail you out of the mess."

"Can you say kill joy?" Tucker asked.

Theo shot him a quick glare. "I'm just stating the truth," he defended himself, his narrowed eyes softening and a smile coming to his lips. "Maybe I speak too much of it," he thought out loud.

"You think?" Danny said teasingly.

"Watch it, ghost boy," Theo shot back. He couldn't keep the smile off his face, though. He remembered something suddenly and leaned down to Rhodes and whispered, "Keep ghost boy's friends busy while I talk to him, okay? It should just be a second."

Rhodes nodded before forcing a large smile on her face. She lightly guided Sam and Tucker away from Danny and Theo while saying loudly, "Look at that incredible statue! Let's take a close look at it!"

"But there's hundreds of different statues in this city," Tucker said, oblivious to what she was trying to do.

"But I like this one the best! Apollo is so dreamy!" Rhodes lied, practically pushing the two toward the carved naked god of Apollo. Why people liked carving that god out the most, baffled the Kitsune, but the block of stone was the best distraction she could think of at the moment.

Theo smirked at the fox spirit as she led the others off to give him and Danny some time to talk. Turning toward Danny, the half sphinx guided his friend the opposite way so that Sam and Tucker would be out of ear-shot. The conversation would be about them.

"I've been thinking," Theo started.

"Yeah, you do that a lot," Danny said, expecting to hear some grand scheme for their adventure to come.

"About your friends," Theo said, "And their safety."

Danny's smile faded. "What are you implying, Theo?" Danny asked, "That they don't come with us?"

"Danny, their mortals," Theo tried to explain. "They don't have powers. They aren't like you and me or Rhodes. We get hit by a god or goddess, we can live to tell the tale. But Sam and Tucker can't. They get hit, they die."

"Yeah, I know that," Danny retorted. "I'm not stupid."

Theo winced. "You know I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I'm just concerned. It was fine with them in the Underworld because I knew Hades wasn't a fighter. I knew he wouldn't confront us with full on combat where they could get hurt. Cerberus I forgot, and they almost got killed for that. If it hadn't been for Rhodes, we could have all died, you know that."

"Since when did you care about Sam and Tuck?" Danny asked, putting his hands on his hips and staring the demigod down with a glare.

Theo rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Since when did I care about anyone other than myself?" he asked. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Danny, I know that you want them to be with us when we fight Zeus," he said quietly. "And I do not doubt that they could do some good. But you got to be reasonable."

Danny looked over to his friends with a frown. He couldn't hear them, but he saw Tucker saying something to Rhodes and the fox spirit nodding politely. Sam looked somewhat bored. She looked around for him and Theo and made eye contact with the ghost boy. Smiling slightly, she waved at him. He waved back, thinking of pain he would feel if she and Tucker died. He'd never forgive himself.

"You win," he told Theo.

"It wasn't a contest," Theo said, folding his arms in front of him. "Now the problem is coming up with something to distract the two. I hate to say it, but Rhodes needs to be with us so she can't bail us out with this. Though, I'm pretty sure we will have no problem with distracting Tucker." He smiled at the last part.

Looking over to Danny, he saw a sly grin on his friend's face. "What are you thinking?" he asked skeptically.

"I have a better idea," he told Theo.

A/N: My finale chapter might be sectioned off into two chapters…I'm not sure. But I'm saying only three more chapters are left for this fic. Man, I'm gonna miss writing this one! It has been a blast! But at least I have a new Danny Phantom fic all ready to go. The first chapter is done and the second is almost complete, but I don't want to post it till I'm done with this one.

Okay, so my next fic is called Soul Searching and will be rated T. It won't be like this fic. It has a darker mood to it and has swearing, which I didn't put in this fic. It is first person, as in told from Danny's point of view, which is coming out better than I expected. Here is the full summary. Tell me what you think.

Summary: Being forced to be a camp counselor was the last thing Danny wanted that summer. To make it worse, Vlad is the owner. But, interestingly enough, the man is desperate to hide something from the ghost boy. Something dangerous haunts the camp grounds. Not even Danny is sure what it is or how to keep himself and others from falling prey to it. But to figure out Vlad's deep secret and how to stop this thing, Danny is going to have to throw his vacation plans out the window and confront a horror ten times more disturbing than any ghost he's ever encountered.


	24. Chapter 24 East Golden Entry

A/N: So, better late than never! I had a lot of trouble getting this chapter out. I have periods of time where I just don't feel like writing, especially around the end of a fic because I just don't want it to be over. But I got the face the facts. This fic has to have an ending. Getting over my depressed mood, I have a special surprise for you guys in the ending author's note. Enjoy my slightly rushed chapter!

Disclaimer: Danny, Vlad, Sam, and Tucker are not mine. They are Butch's.

Chapter 24 Easy Golden Entry

Closing his emerald eyes, Danny let himself take some time to think. A strong gust of wind blasted against his face, rippling through his ghostly white hair. Danny opened his eyes with the release of a smile. The view from his precarious perch was breathtaking.

For the past few hours he and the others had been climbing Mount Olympus. Theo didn't want Danny to be out of energy by flying everyone to the top, so they were all climbing by hand. It was a dangerous trek. Huge boulders were piled up on each other, making it difficult to climb. One wrong move could send someone falling, which they had a few of. But Danny had always been there to save or help fly over impossible sheer vertical cliffs.

Now Danny was ahead of the others, giving himself a little break. They were more than halfway up the mountain and it was nearing sun set. Danny watched the horizon as it got ready for the disappearance of the sun. A hint of pink and orange was blending into the seemingly eternal blue where the sun was shinning brightly.

Taking his eyes off the painted colors in the sky, Danny took in the mountain scene all around him. Everywhere he looked he could see mountains striking boldly into the sea of blue above. Danny knew he was likely to never get the chance of this view ever again, so he tried to experience it all at once.

"Hey, Danny, could you lend a hand?" Rhodes asked from where she was below him a few feet.

Danny jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. He leaned forward to look down at her, giving the Kitsune a grin. "Slow poke," he said teasingly. She only returned his smile with a stern frown. She was worn out from so much climbing, but she was doing better than anyone else, she being used to strenuous labor everyday.

Jumping off his rock perch, Danny flew down to her side. She grabbed onto his wrists before he flew her up a few yards, avoiding a precarious outcrop of large boulders. He placed her down where the path was once again easy.

"You might want to check on the others," Rhodes told him, stopping to catch her breath. She smiled slyly before saying, "They are playing some question game with Theo, and the cat boy is getting a bit upset. Save the lot before he throws your friends off the mountain itself."

"Good tip," Danny said, grinning again.

When Danny got to the others below, things were a mess between Theo and the two mortals ganging up on him with their pestering questions. He stayed out of sight but in ear shot as Sam and Tucker continued with their game with the half sphinx.

"So do you purr?" Tucker asked randomly.

"What?" Theo asked, clearly peeved by his flattened ears.

"You're half cat," Tucker explained his question. "So does that mean you purr when you're happy?"

"Or when someone scratches you behind the ears?" Sam butted in. Trying to keep in a giggle, she used an index finger to scratch the demigod behind his ears.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Theo snapped at her, grabbing her wrist. But the two didn't care about his anger or seriousness. They were a jumble of giggles and laughs at Theo's frustrated tone and expression.

"Dude, answer our question," Tucker said, spurring Theo on.

Theo hesitated before muttering, "Yeah, I can purr."

He immediately regretted sharing the information as Sam and Tucker had to sit down to laugh and hold their aching stomachs. Groaning in irritation and confusion, Theo let go of Sam's wrist and waited for them to get over themselves. The sooner they got up the mountain, the sooner these two would be away from him…if Danny's plan went right.

"You can purr?" Danny asked Theo from behind. The half sphinx gave an alarmed gasp while spinning around. He frowned when seeing the ghost boy there. Danny bit his lip to keep in a laugh while asking, "When was the last time you did so, a few hundred years ago?" He then lost it, joining the others laughing at Theo's expense.

Theo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of him. He waited a few good seconds before asking, "You guys finished?"

"One second," Danny said, holding up an index finger. He and the others were silent for a moment before exploding with laughter again. Counting his loses, Theo sat down with them, a deadpan expression on his face as he waited some more.

When the friends finally got over the funny, Sam said, "You know we don't mean to make fun of you, Theo."

"I do," Tucker said with a bold grin.

"Why do you have to be that way, Tuck?" Danny asked, becoming serious.

"No, let him go," Theo said, looking slightly interested. "You got a problem with me?" he asked Tucker.

"Yeah," Tucker said, "I don't like the fact that we have to be taking orders from you. We don't even know who you are. Well, we know you're a jerk, but that's all."

"A jerk?" Theo said, amused. A mocking grin crossed his features. "I've been called worse."

Off to the side, Danny whispered to Sam, "I hope this doesn't end up like last time."

"What happened last time?" Sam asked nervously. She hated tension in the group.

Danny pointed to a bruise on his shoulder. "That and many more," Danny said with a grim smile. "Let's just say that you don't want to get Theo wound up." Sam bit her lower lip. The last thing they needed was a boxing fight between these two.

"You just show up with Danny, instantly become his best friend, act like a jerk to Sam and I, and expect us to follow faithfully after you," Tucker was saying, venting all his pent up thoughts.

Theo's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Best friend?" he asked, "Since when was I Danny's best friend? Trust me; I'm no where near best friend potential with the ghost boy. I mean, after we settle this god and mortal war thing, we probably wont ever…see each other." Theo kept in his feelings of sadness as he stumbled on the last few words.

For a moment Tucker looked confused by Theo's words and slightly reassured in some way before saying, "That's not the point. You can't act this way towards me and expect me to do whatever you say."

"I expect you to do what I say because I'm the only one who really knows what he's doing here," Theo explained. "I've lived in this time period for more than your lifetime. I'm the expert. If you don't want to follow me, then go get yourself killed."

"I understand that you're the 'expert'," Tucker spat back, "But that doesn't mean you can push me around."

"Okay, I get it," Theo said with a flabbergasted sigh. He threw his hands up into the air while saying, "I'm a terrible person! The world's full of bad people. Now you can check me off the checklist of the ones you've met."

"Hey!" Danny butted in with a yell. "You both are giving me a headache." He turned to Tucker and said, "Theo _is_ the expert, so trust him. You don't have to like him, but fighting about that feeling will get us nowhere right now." He then looked over to the scowling Theo and snapped, "You admitting your meanness is a great breakthrough, dude, but don't expect it to be rewarding."

"Let's keep going," Sam said with a relieved sigh. She let Theo lead the way and Tucker trail behind, sulking. She and Danny walked side by side. After a pause she looked over to him and whispered, "Thanks for that save back there. I don't know how you ever got along with that cat boy. I guess he grows on you."

Danny chuckled. "Actually, he doesn't," he said matter-of-factly, "Theo just becomes bearable."

-Half an Hour Later-

"Wow," was all the teens could muster to say as soon as they stood at the front of Mount Olympus' front gates. It was like looking down into the black pit to the Underworld, just this time was less creepy and foreboding.

The gates were as big as five story buildings and made entirely out of gold. The metal was crafted to perfection, beautifully curving, swirling, and interlocking between different pieces to form different sections. The gold glittered off the reclusive sun that was ready to disappear at any moment on the horizon. The teens stood, mesmerized by this sight.

Theo, already accustomed to seeing the gate, smirked at the others and waited for their awestruck faces to come back to reality before motioning them to follow. He walked up to the very edge of the gate, bent down, and easily passed through to the other side by going under. The others quickly followed.

"As you can see, the gods love to make things look big but miss the big picture along the way," Theo said, referring to the effortless accessible entrance gate. The other teens smiled at the stupidity of having a large gate that didn't function too well at keeping anyone out.

Danny suddenly stopped before they went too far. Theo saw the pause and turned around to see what the matter was. The others followed suit, waiting for the boy to say something. He had a sly look in his green eyes as they scanned over his friends.

"Okay, change of plans, guys," he said. "Rhodes, you hold Theo like this." He showed the fox spirit where to keep Theo's arms pinned. The girl looked confused, but complied.

"What is going on, Danny?" Theo asked. "Are you crazy?" He struggled in Rhodes' surprisingly strong grip.

"Now," Danny announced, "We're going to split up."

"What?" Theo said, almost incredulously.

Danny opened his magical sack and rummaged around in it before pulling out a long white ribbon tied in a knot at one end. He paused, observing the odd symbol, and then handed it over to Sam. "You and Tuck are going to go find Hera," he instructed them. "If I remember correctly, she isn't the fighting type, so you guys should be safe while Theo, Rhodes, and I go find Zeus."

"Wait, when I said distraction, I didn't mean for them to go gallivanting off into Olympus alone to go find Hera!" Theo yelled at Danny. "I thought you were going to knock them out or something! Let go, Rhodes!"

"I'm not sure if that would be a wise move at this point, Theo," she said with a guilty smile. Theo gawked at her, surprised at her audacity. But soon he was fighting against her hold on him, ready to swear at the ghost boy who had deceived him so well.

Danny was quick to give Sam and Tucker the plan for them he had cooked up the whole time they had ascended the mountain. Sam would be in charge; they would touch nothing along the way to Hera's chambers, and would return to the gate when they were done. If something went wrong, Danny made it clear he couldn't be there to play superhero and fly them out of trouble. If there was an oops, they would have to bail themselves out on their own.

"Ready?" he asked them once he was sure they knew the plan.

"As ever, dude," Tucker said, grinning. He was glad he wouldn't have to deal with Theo. Also, he was relieved to be out of the fray. Most of the time he loved being a ghost fighter with Danny, but after seeing Hades, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to confront Zeus. It would just be too dangerous. Danny didn't need the ordeal of trying to keep an eye on him and Sam while fighting. It would just be a burden.

Sam was the opposite of Tucker. She wanted to be by Danny's side when it came down to the wire. She didn't want to leave him when there was a chance he wouldn't come back. But she sucked it up, taking it upon herself to do this mission, this favor for him. He wanted both her and Tucker to be safe, and she would uphold his wishes.

"One second!" Theo quickly shouted to intervene. All eyes turned to him. He stopped struggling and told them gravely, "Just be careful. Don't let your guard down. If something looks too risky, don't try to play hero. This whole thing is to keep you guys safe."

"Aw, he has a heart somewhere deep down inside," Sam teased, smirking at the half sphinx who only frowned back.

"Yeah, somewhere deep, deep down in there," Tucker added, which earned him a death glare.

"Just go, you two," Danny ordered with a sigh.

"Right!" the mortals said in union before taking off into a run deeper into Mount Olympus' grounds. It was only when they were out of sight that Rhodes let Theo go. He looked ticked off, but he kept cool and collected as he directed them towards Zeus' chambers.

They moved quickly down the bright pathways of Olympus, using time wisely. Theo knew exactly where they were heading, and moved the group of three at a swift pace. The whole time his ears and eyes were open, watching for the danger which was expected to come.

Danny and Rhodes had only a few seconds here and there to catch glimpses of the wonder of the place. Along the torch and fire-lit pathways were complicated and stunning water fountains. The sparkling clear water trickling out was a tranquil sound to Danny's ears. The magical place was filled with blossoming fruit trees growing a variety of multicolored gourds, golden apples, and other types of fruit that Danny couldn't name.

The whole place looked and felt alive. The grass, the trees, even the water sent sparks of different hints of power that Danny wasn't accustomed to feeling. It felt like he was in the ghost zone, where everything had a level of power, of being somewhat alive. Once he compared the two feelings, he saw how similar they really were. Olympus here was like to the ghost zone a few centuries in the future. It made sense in a way.

At one point Danny stopped at one of the overhanging lusciously green branches. He reached out a hand to pick one of the purple berries dangling in front of him. For a moment it sounded like the plant was calling out to him.

Theo quickly grabbed Danny's wrist and yanked him away from the growing temptation while saying, "Food of the gods. Don't eat it unless you want to live on Olympus for forever."

Danny smiled sheepishly. He had almost thrown his life away for the sake of a bite of fruit. It was enough to get embarrassed about. Sometimes he couldn't believe how foolish he was.

They soon made it to Zeus' domain. It was the largest building of the handful there. The three felt like tiny ants as they walked up the thousands of marble steps to the entrance of the building. Gigantic columns jutted out of the stairs, soaring impossibly high over them. The top of the building was shrouded in dense clouds. These gray vapors boiled with thunder, as if foreshadowing the mood of the god would be in when they got to him.

The door was solid gold, like the gate, and was just as tall as the columns. For a moment the three stood there, staring dumbly at the massive wonder, nervous but ready.

"How are we going to open this thing?" Rhodes asked, still staring numbly at the door.

"I'm guessing he doesn't have a doorbell," Danny said, getting strange looks from the others because of his futuristic joke. "Never mind," he finally muttered.

"Danny's going to phase us through," Theo stated, answering Rhodes' question.

Thankful to be of a help finally, Danny rubbed his palms together in anticipation of what was to come. "One intangible trick, coming right up!" he said, grabbing Theo's and Rhodes' arms. Rhodes looked frightened as Danny jumped right at the gold doors.

They burst through on the other side a second later. Danny let go of the two, letting them get over the weird sensation of going through a solid object. He had been that way the first few times he used that power too.

"Ah, Daniel, so nice of you to finally show up," a familiar voice echoed ominously down to them from above.

Danny went stiff as blue mist floated from his gaping mouth. He looked up with dread, saying the name that had plagued him from the very beginning.

"Vlad."

A/N: Dun, dun, DUN! Vlad finally returns! I know some of you were wondering when he would show up. I've missed the fruit loop too. He's so fun to write about. The finale will be the next chapter! I'm excited for the fight scene I've planned out in my head. But I'm sure you readers are more focused on the surprise I promised from the beginning author's note. So here it is…a little preview of my soon-to-be released fan fic, Soul Searching. It is an excerpt from Chapter 2.

..."What is this, an interrogation?" I snapped at him after a moment of silence between us. "Was it a crime for me to come here or something? What is it that you want from me?"

"I ask the questions," Vlad said coolly. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. "What do you know about this camp?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?" I shot back. Suddenly I was enlightened. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" I said. My confidence was beginning to rise now. "It has to be something pretty big for you to go and trap me in a bathroom stall for an interrogation. You want to make sure I don't know anything, that's why you're asking me all these dumb questions."

"Well, aren't you the bright one," Vlad sighed in irritation. "Now tell me what you know so we can get on with our lives. As you can see, you aren't going anywhere till I get the answers I want."

"Well," I said, pretending to think hard, "I know that you suck." I shrugged. "That's it. I'm a C student. I don't have to know much."

"If this wasn't so serious, I'd love to hear your witty banter," Vlad said. Grabbing my left leg, he began to slowly turn my bare foot. "You won't wear that annoying cocky grin if you ended up with a broken ankle on your second day at Happy Hills," he said, still twisting. "We can say it was an accident. The morning dew on the grass was wet. You slipped, landed on your ankle, and…_crack_." …

So, what do you guys think? I have time to revise because I've only completed two chapters. If readers strongly suggest something, it's better for me to get feedback before I continue. So…love, hate, shrug material? Tell me what you think.

See you readers in two weeks!


	25. Chapter 25 Olympus Obstacles Part 1

A/N: Better late than never, I always say. I'm just glad I got this chapter out on time. These past two weeks have been filled with me doing my AP English 8 paged term paper, so I haven't gotten around to typing this chapter out till just yesterday. But its break finally, so expect the next chapter to be next weekend. Okay, this chapter is LONG, so I don't want to waste anymore time on the authors note. Enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: Anything Danny Phantom is not mine. Anything else is.

Chapter 25 Olympus Obstacles Part 1

The three looked paralyzed as they just stood there, frozen, and stared up at Vlad who hovered over them. The man had on a confident evil grin as he folded his arms in front of his chest and stared back down at the teens gawking at him. It was a strong change of events.

"W-what are you doing here, Vlad?" Danny finally managed to spit out. It was clear by the detest in his voice that he was furious to find his arch enemy there.

Vlad's grin widened at this question. "Daniel, didn't you get the news?" he asked with fake innocence.

Danny quickly looked to his sides where Theo and Rhodes stood. Theo looked slightly confused, him never knowing exactly who Vlad was before and not knowing a thing about this conversation. Rhodes looked puzzled too, but she looked weary. She knew the power Vlad could hold. She could feel it also.

"What news?" Danny asked, trying not to sound terrified. His heart was slamming against his chest like a drum in a rock show. Vlad wasn't in their plans. It didn't help that he was playing mind games with them. Where was Zeus? Things were going down hill fast.

"I guess Hermes forgot to give it to you," Vlad said. "The gods and goddesses have made a decision."

"Stop messing with us!" Theo barked, losing his patience with the man before Danny did.

For the first time Vlad noticed the half sphinx. His red eyes narrowed as his lips twisted into a mocking smile. "What are you going to do, cat boy?" he asked Theo, "Hiss at me? Yes, flatten your ears in your pathetic anger. Incase you haven't noticed, I'm the one in control here."

"Just tell us what the gods said, Vlad," Danny ordered. He gave Theo a glance, warning him to keep his heated emotions steady. Theo was fine, but steaming.

"Oh, but I like stalling for time," Vlad told Danny with a wicked chuckle. He was enjoying himself entirely at the group's expense. He then changed his focus and set his eyes on Rhodes. "So I was right with the violet eyes, wasn't I?" he asked the fox spirit. "I'll have to admit, I didn't expect you to be a girl, but that doesn't really matter now does it?"

"One touch," Rhodes whispered to Danny with a startlingly cruel smile, "One touch and he'll be a black crisp."

"Take it slow," Danny told her, trying not to grin at Rhodes' eagerness. It wasn't every day he saw her so high strung. She hated Vlad before she even knew him well enough to hate him.

"What are you kids doing here anyways?" Vlad asked them once he noticed his spiteful comments weren't getting him anywhere now.

"Zeus," Theo answered. He was always the one to get right to the point. "Where is he?"

"Not here, apparently," Vlad answered, the pretend concern coming back to his voice, "Aw, poor kitty looks mad."

"If he mocks me one more time, I'm not going to take it," Theo growled over to Danny.

The ghost boy was at his wits ends. The tables had been turned drastically. Vlad was taunting them, wasting their time, but why? Why wasn't he just open firing on them and blasting them away? Why was he playing dumb and trying to rile them all up so all their tempers were at a boil? Something was going on in the background, but Danny couldn't figure it out fast enough. He needed time to think.

"Where is Zeus?" Danny repeated the question sternly.

"I guess I should tell you, Daniel, because confusion might make you go insane," Vlad said with a sigh, "But then again, I wouldn't mind you going crazy. It might suit you quite well."

"And stoop down to your fruit-loop-like level?" Danny said with a smirk, "Please spare me the humiliating demise." Vlad's smile wavered in his flash of anger. "Did I strike a nerve, Vladdy?" Danny asked.

"Ah, our witty banter is always fun, Daniel," Vlad said, "But I prefer the part where I beat you to a pulp."

"So why not cut the chit-chat short?" Danny quickly asked. "Why not blast away?" He got into a fighting stance, slightly crouched and open to the elements around him. "We're all but ready for the kicking of your butt."

"Hm," Vlad said, tapping his chin in thought. "I'd love to see you try, child, but that isn't part of the plan. You see, I'm just here to keep you three distracted. By the confused faces, I see that I must explain." Vlad planted his wicked grin on his face once again as he said slowly, "You only have a few hours until you have to return Zeus' symbol. All the gods and goddesses are at the meeting building waiting for you good, little demigods to show up. Problem is…you three aren't ever going to show up."

"Danny, get us out of here!" Theo quickly ordered as he spun around toward the door. He wasn't going to stick around for anymore of Vlad's pointless talk. They needed to get to the meeting building…now!

They all turned around to go back the way they came but were stunned again by another presence. The person there was huge with attractively toned muscles and towered over the three by at least three or four more feet. His curly strawberry blonde hair sat in a mass on his head. His blue eyes looked faded, as if in a daze and not fully there. Theo knew that stare. Danny had that same stare just two weeks ago.

"Say hello to the mighty demigod, Heracles," Vlad said down to the cornered teens. "He's really a nice guy when you know how to control him. But sadly, on your part I mean, he sees the two of you as the enemy."

"_Two of us_?" Theo asked, glancing behind to shoot Vlad a confused look.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to add in the part that you're little Kitsune friend is on the other side as well," Vlad said.

Before Theo could register this information, Rhodes attacked. For a second the atmosphere buzzed around Danny and the half sphinx as Rhodes collected the electricity from the very air. She packed it into a small ball in her hands. Time seemed to slow while Danny and Theo whipped their heads over to her. She let the ball explode from her hands, aiming straight at Theo.

The fox spirit's aim was true. The blue ball of sparking energy shot out of her hands and collided with a blast of bright white light against Theo's exposed chest. Theo was thrown off his feet, letting out a short yelp as intense hot pain consumed his chest. Danny watched with astonishment as Theo landed roughly on his back a few feet away and skidded to a stop, smoke from the shot drifting up from his chest.

"You kids have fun," Vlad laughed before vanishing.

"Danny! Look out!" Theo screamed at the ghost boy before it was too late. He had barely any room to speak because Rhodes was already gearing up for another powerful attack.

Danny, confused and dazed from the recent turn of events, was snapped back into reality by Theo's desperate call. He looked straight ahead, eyes going wider when seeing Heracles running toward him. He had little time to react, but he managed to dart to the side before he got plowed over by the Greek Hulk.

Thinking he had outwitted the big guy, Danny was surprised when a large hand engulfed his ankle and better part of his leg in a death grip. The ghost boy had made the mistake of thinking all guys with big muscles were stupid and slow. He was soon going to change his view on that stereotype.

Heracles only had to bring his arm down. Danny's body was forced through a couple of G's in only the matter of seconds. He couldn't even scream as his body smashed fiercely into the stone ground. Danny could literally feel the rock crack and indent from the very force at which Heracles had flung him. If he hadn't been in ghost form, he would have been dead on impact.

For a moment the boy couldn't breathe. His vision darkened for a second as air tapped their feet impatiently at the door to his lungs. Then it all rushed in with a frantic gasp of severe pain.

Heracles didn't give Danny much time to recover. His clouded eyes narrowed as he brought Danny back up and swung him like he would a baseball bat, just that he let go at the end. It was a wonder how the boy didn't get a bone snapped in two. Danny flew into the air, fighting to keep conscious. It was on his way back down toward earth that he got enough sense to stop his fast free fall and use his ghost powers. He stopped in the air just a few feet from Heracles ready grasp.

Meanwhile, Theo was dealing with his own threat to his life. Wincing, he placed a hand on his burnt chest that heaved from his rugged and hard breaths. Rhodes didn't give him time to take inventory of his wounds. She sent another blast of energy his way with a sharp battle cry.

Pushing the pain into the back of his brain, Theo rolled out of the way of the shot just in time. He gathered his feet under him and pushed himself high into the air. Time seemed to go by painstakingly slow as he flipped over the Kitsune as she frantically gathered more energy into her palms. Her clouded violet eyes stayed on his narrowed brown ones as he passed over her.

The second Theo landed, Rhodes shot her ball of electricity. The half sphinx, with his backed turned to the girl, ducked, spun around in the blink of an eye, and blasted his own fireball at his temporary enemy.

Rhodes gave a sharp cry before flinging herself into a duck roll to the side of the fireball. She sprung back to her feet with grace in every step and thrust her pointer and middle finger in Theo's direction. A long arc of blue electric energy blasted from her fingertips with its goal to hurt.

Theo's eyes widened in surprise of the fox spirit's immense power. He threw himself into a set of back handsprings to avoid more of Rhodes' sharp blasts of energy. To catch Rhodes off guard he suddenly changed his direction of momentum and pounced straight for the girl with fists blazing.

Close combat turned into a rigorous dance filled with kicks, punches, blasts of energy, and sharp battle yells. Blasting a ball of fire at Rhodes, Theo was alarmed to see her avoid it so quickly and come in from his side with a roundhouse kick. He ducked, grabbed her recoiling leg, and used all his strength to lift her into the air and throw her down to the ground.

Panting and sweaty, Theo sat on the girl's stomach and pinned her arms above her head. Chests heaving, the two were nose to nose now. Theo could now see for sure that Rhodes was under some spell. Her usual calm and collected gaze had been transformed into one of hate and bitterness.

"Where is he?" Theo snapped into Rhodes' face. "Where is Dionysus? Tell me!"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Theo," Rhodes teased with a wicked and almost seductive smile.

"Rhodes, please, snap out of it!" Theo pleaded with the Kitsune, his harsh tone leaving and one of concern replacing it. "You're smarter than this! You know that this isn't you! Snap out of it!"

"Snap out of what?" Rhodes asked before bringing her head up and brushing her lips lightly against Theo's as if tempting him with a kiss. The sensitive touch caught the half sphinx off guard, and Rhodes managed to get a hand loose from his tight grip. "Sucker," she whispered into his Ra marked ear before blasting him away with her free hand.

Eyes wide in shock, Theo shot across the rock floor of the room. Promptly getting over the betrayal, he desperately tried to stop his projection but was too late. With a cry of dismay and fear, Theo flew over the edge of the floor where the mountain ended and plummeted downward. He disappeared before he even knew what was happening.

At the other end of the room, Danny was having his own troubles with Heracles. That first hit had sent Danny's brain into a whole other dimension. He had never had a ghost or any other creature slam him that hard before. His head spun when he flew too fast, and it was hard to focus on the hypnotized demigod constantly taking a swipe for him. The ghost boy was lucky he hadn't been nabbed again. He wouldn't be able to take another hit like the one before.

"Dude, you need to stay off the steroids," Danny told Heracles. He grimaced before bolting high into the air to avoid the large hands of his adversary. The guy was amazingly quick for his size. "They aren't very healthy and have bad side effects," Danny continued with his banter, which was more out of nervousness than anything else.

"Why can't we be friends?" Danny asked, smiling tensely up at Heracles as he landed a few good yards away from him. Heracles frowned in annoyance at the boy. "Okay, maybe not," Danny said quickly, "But we can still talk it out, right?"

Heracles shoved his bare hands into the rock floor, cutting smoothly into the solid material with his fingers. Danny watched with dread as the young man used little strain to force a large block of rock out of the earth at his feet. Heracles then raised it above his head and threw it at Danny with a grunt.

"Crap," Danny muttered to himself. Setting his mind to it, he turned himself intangible and let the boulder pass right through him. He flew out of the rock surrounding him and had to avoid some smaller rocks being thrown at him by the demigod.

Having enough of this useless battle, Danny caught a rock coming at him with both hands and flung it back at Heracles. The demigod skirted out of the way of its impact. Danny used that little time of distraction to sum up his ice power. Smirking, the young phantom blasted a stream of his cold power from his eyes at Heracles. He flew down to his new ice sculpture to inspect the damage.

"Popsicle in 2.8 seconds," Danny said, mentally congratulating himself for a job well done.

Looking up, Danny's grin faded into a look of horror when seeing Theo fall off the edge.

"Theo!" he screamed, hand out stretched in front of him in desperation. "No!"

Before the ghost boy could get his feet off the ground to fly and save his friend, Heracles burst from his ice prison and grabbed Danny by the neck. The two went down, Heracles on top and in control. Danny's back slammed roughly against the floor, making him wince in pain.

Struggling fruitlessly, Danny fought for his freedom. He could barely breathe with Heracles' giant hand wrapped fully around his throat. The demigod's massive and strong body pinned Danny's tiny one to the floor. And for some reason he couldn't just go intangible and phase through the floor. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Suddenly there was clapping.

Danny stopped his incessant squirming to listen to whoever was there. He couldn't move his head with Heracles' hand keeping his neck in place. It wasn't till the eerie clapping stopped and the echo faded that the person revealed himself to Danny.

A young man moved into the ghost boy's line of sight. His blood shot green eyes had a wicked delight in them as they took in the pleasing sight of Danny's precarious position. Danny would always remember those eyes.

"Dionysus," Danny growled in disgust.

"Danny," Dionysus said with an amused smile, "So nice of you to remember me."

"Remember this!" Theo roared from behind. He had somehow stopped his fall off the cliff and had climbed back up, probably with a lot of help from his cat genes. Now he leaped into the air, drew a fiery fist back, and came down upon Dionysus in a surprise attack.

He was seconds away from getting in a shot of a lifetime when Rhodes knocked him off course by slamming into him from the side. She plowed into him and sent them both to the floor and skidding to a stop.

Rhodes was the first to get up. She was quick and vigorous in her movements as she kneed Theo in the face, wrapped an arm around his throat, and placed her sparking fingertips at his side. Theo, still reeling from the brutal hit to his face, could do nothing but submit to the hold on his body.

"It's amazing how the play works out so well when you put a little planning to it," Dionysus said with a happy giggle. "You're little girlfriend is such a perfect puppet, Theo. I hope you're not too attached to the thing. I'd love to keep it."

"You keep your hands off her!" Theo shouted, struggling in Rhodes' grip. "She is not some toy you can play with!"

"Temper, temper," Dionysus said, grinning at Theo's unnatural display of emotions.

"What are you doing here?" Theo demanded to know. "Don't tell me that you're with Vlad."

"Vlad?" Dionysus repeated with a sharp laugh. "That ambitious god is busy creating chaos all over again. He has the power bug, has the notion to rule the world or something. I only agreed to be in his plan to distract you demigods because I'd get my revenge on you."

Theo frowned in thought. "What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much?" Theo asked with exasperation.

Silence.

"Whoa! Wait!" Danny yelled in anger. His throat burned from the hand pressing down on it, but it didn't stop him from asking incredulously, "Do you even remember why you hate Theo?"

"Of course I do!" Dionysus snapped back, shooting a cold glare Danny's way. "Shut up!"

"You're freaking crazy!" Danny shouted at the god. "You don't even have a reason!"

"He never liked my plays!" Dionysus blurted out, a little embarrassed. "He hates the theater, so I don't like him."

Theo sighed in frustration before saying honestly, "I never said I hated your plays. Actually, I kind of like them." Okay, so maybe he was half honest.

"Yeah, the one I was in was cool…if you cut out the life threatening part," Danny piped in.

"Oh, thanks," Dionysus said down to Danny with a prideful grin.

"Can you let me go then?" Danny asked hopefully. He put on his cute and innocent smile.

"No," Dionysus answered frostily. Danny's smile dropped and he growled a few insults under his breath.

"I don't hate the theater, I just didn't like you," Theo explained. "I don't like people who think life is just one big game or play performance. All you do is get drunk, have wild parties, and punish people who don't."

"Exactly," Dionysus cut in. "So you need to be punished. Now, puppet, be a good doll and give Theo a little spark that he is sure to remember." He snapped his fingers as if trying to get a dog to do a trick.

Theo winced but said nothing as Rhodes began to gather energy in the hand that she had placed on his side. He narrowed his eyes on Dionysus and waited for the right time to move. He could literally feel when Rhodes had gathered her energy and let it course out from her fingertips.

It was at that second where the collecting stopped and she poured it all forth when he grabbed her hand with his free one, pointed his two fingers in the direction he wanted with his other hand, and let her electric energy flow through him as if he was merely the conductor.

An alarmed yelp came from Rhodes, who knew exactly what Theo was doing. But electricity is a fast one. She had no control of it once she realized that Theo wasn't going to be the one to get hurt. All she could do was watch as an arc of her transferred power blasted out of Theo's fingers and collided with Dionysus' body.

Dionysus let out a loud scream of pain as his body was shocked with hundreds of volts of electricity. His body went rigid as blue sparks zipped up and down the course of it. In seconds the damage was done and he dropped to the ground unconscious.

"Why is my hand wrapped around your throat?" Heracles asked Danny, genuine confusion spread across his face. His blue eyes were clear, the hypnotism on him broken. "I don't remember anything. The past few days are a blur."

"Yeah, about that," Danny choked out. "Can you let me go?"

"Sorry!" Heracles said quickly, not knowing his own strength. He helped Danny to his feet while saying, "I hope I didn't do any permanent damage to you while under that spell."

"I'll walk it off," Danny said.

"Good!" Heracles said, grinning. He patted Danny on the back, almost whacking the ghost boy off his feet and successfully knocking the air out of him for a second. Danny coughed, trying to keep himself together to not seem rude to the giant standing next to him.

"Danny! Help!" Theo shouted in panic.

Danny perked up at the call. He and Heracles spun around in union to see Theo kneeling over a fallen Rhodes. The ghost boy had a flash of terror but quickly pushed it back as he flew to Rhodes' side. Heracles came rushing behind him, a grim look on his face.

"What happened?" Danny asked Theo. He took in the Kitsune's state. She looked fine, just very still. "Is she breathing?" The question scared him half to death.

"No," Theo said, a frantic tone in his voice. "I think when I used her power some of it blocked up in her. The build up must have electrocuted her insides. I think it stopped her heart!"

"CPR, dude!" Danny told Theo. "Do you know how to do it? I don't! I don't!" He had seen it thousands of times in movies, but movies didn't count.

"Give me room then!" Theo shouted at Danny and Heracles. The two moved with blue eyes wide in fear. Theo tilted Rhodes' head back then blew into her mouth using his own. He counted out loud the times he did that, then went to her chest and pumped it, still counting. He was on his second cycle when the life came back to her with a loud gasp.

"Yes, yes!" Theo whispered in triumph. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes. He patted Rhodes' cheek to get a response out of her. "Stay with me, Rhodes. Tell me how you feel."

The Kitsune looked up at Theo with a faint, weak smile. She lifted up her frail arms and grabbed Theo's head in her hands. Her smile widened as she brought his face down and kissed him. Theo, suddenly not aware of the outside world, deepened the passion.

"Okay, not expecting that one," Danny muttered, grinning in pure embarrassment. He turned away to give the two some little privacy. He and Heracles made eye contact and they laughed at the awkward situation.

"Do they normally do this?" Heracles asked him.

"Um…no," Danny answered.

"What, you want one too, ghost boy?" Rhodes asked Danny from where she was at his side suddenly. "Jealous?" Danny laughed before throwing his arms around her neck to give her a hug. He was just relieved to have her alive and well. Rhodes ended up giving Danny a quick peck on the cheek anyways, which made him blush.

"Hey, Theo. I haven't seen you in half a decade," Heracles said to the half sphinx that was close to Rhodes' side with a grin planted on his face. "Where have you been?"

Theo shrugged. "I've been working on that map I've told you about, living a boring life in the country, you know me," he said smoothly. "How has your quests been going?"

"Hard as usual," Heracles said with a sigh. It was like they were talking about homework or something. "Do you know how to knock out Hades' dog, Cerberus? I'm having a problem with that one."

"Am I missing something?" Danny asked, feeling like the third wheel. "You guys know each other? You never told me that you personally _knew_ Heracles."

"Uh…you never asked," Theo said. "But, yeah, I know a lot of demigods. They all get around somehow. We like to keep in touch from time to time." He then frowned as something came to his always racing mind. "We're getting off topic. We only have around an hour left to give Hera and Zeus their symbols. Hopefully Sam and Tucker are doing their job, but I doubt it now with Vlad in the mix. We need to find them then get to the meeting building where the gods are waiting for us."

"I can go find Sam and Tuck," Danny said, slipping his magical sack off his belt to give to Theo. "You go with Rhodes to the meeting building while I go find them. We don't have enough time to search for them."

Heracles stopped Danny from handing the sack over to Theo's outstretched hands. They all looked up at him with question in their stares. "I'll find your friends," he said. "The two of you need to be there to confront dad and the others. I'll take the fox girl with me."

"You sure?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Heracles answered with a firm nod. "You guys have been on this for two whole weeks from what I've heard. All that you've been through was always together. It would just be stupid to split up now. You two know what you want, and you can only accomplish it together."

The three stared up at the big demigod speechless for a moment. It was Theo who broke the silence by saying, "It's a plan, then!" He then turned to the girl beside him and asked, "You gonna be okay with Heracles, Rhodes?"

"I'll be fine," she reassured him. "Besides, I'm still really weak. I guess dying and coming back to life really takes it out of you." Her sarcasm brought a laugh out of the group.

Heracles picked up Rhodes then and put her on his broad shoulders. She chuckled nervously from her new height, but felt safe with the strong demigod in control. She looked down at Danny and Theo and smiled.

"I owe you one, big guy," Theo told Heracles.

"Yeah," Heracles slowly said with a grin, "Remember my problem with Cerberus?"

"Don't push your luck," Theo said flatly.

A/N: Part one of the finale is done. Next part is next weekend. After that is the conclusion. So only two more chapters. I'm gonna miss this fic…but I might not miss it too much…if you catch my drift. Anywho, hope you liked the long chapter, gear up for the next one, and review. Thanks for reading!


	26. Chapter 26 Olympus Obstacles Part 2

A/N: Prepare yourself for a VERY LONG chapter! It took me freaking forever to get it typed, but I did it! I don't want to say much, so read, enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom characters are not mine! The rest are!

Chapter 26 Olympus Obstacles Part 2

"Can you believe this?" Theo asked Danny, grinning from cat ear to cat ear.

"Believe what?" Danny said, confused. He flew by Theo's side as they rushed to the meeting building. Trees and fountains flew by them as they practically sprinted toward their destination.

"Dude, we actually made it to Olympus and survived!" Theo answered. "I thought for sure we wouldn't make it past even Demeter. Look at us! We've been to Egypt and back and came out of the Underworld still living." He paused before saying softly, "I guess it feels good to win something."

Danny smiled at his friend's strange and unnatural behavior. But Theo's words made Danny think deeper. He looked over to Theo and asked, "What do you mean?"

"When you go through all your life loosing stuff, it feels _really_ good to win for the first time," Theo answered. He saw Danny's look of pity and growled at him, "Don't look at me like that, ghost boy!"

"Oh, sorry, I thought you're good mood was going to last a few seconds more," Danny teased. "But don't get too happy. We haven't won just yet. From my years of experience, winning is never easy."

"Amen to that," Theo muttered. "I just wanted to test out something of my optimism."

"You have optimism?" Danny asked, pretending shock. He gave an overdramatic gasp to add to the effect.

"I thought superheroes were supposed to be nice," Theo said, putting on a look of offense.

"Being nice and being truthful are two different things," Danny said without skipping a beat in their sarcastic banter.

Theo looked ahead just in time to see Vlad appear out of nowhere in front of them. He had to reel himself back, skidding to a stop only a few feet away from the powerful ghost. Danny was able to stop on a dime. He mentally kicked himself for believing for a fleeting second that they were going to be able to get to the meeting building without trouble from this man.

"Going somewhere?" Vlad asked with a smirk.

Danny didn't waste time with talk. They had a deadline, and witty banter wasn't going to prolong it. Hands glowing a brilliant emerald, Danny summed up some ectoplasm energy in them before shooting a large ray with his palms together at Vlad.

Plasmius flew to the side to avoid the attack. He almost didn't catch Theo take out his dagger and pounce at him. He caught the feline boy by the wrist with the hand holding the weapon. In one fluid motion, Vlad had Theo flying in the other direction. He watched with a frown as Theo simply corrected his balance and landed lightly a few yards away. It was going to take more than a few powerful throws to get rid to the teen.

"What ever happened to our little banter, Daniel?" Vlad asked Danny as he waved a hand in the air to bring up a pink tinted force field that blocked all of the ghost boy's energy blasts. "This fight-then-talk attitude I must say is a refreshing change."

"Shut up, cheese head," Danny retorted. He flew upward and successfully distracted the man enough to help Theo get a good hit in.

Vlad gave an alarmed yell as Theo's body whizzed by his head. Theo used Vlad's shoulder as a good resting place of his hand as he flipped over the man. Before letting go, he shot a blast of flame out of the hand lightly touching the shoulder. Before Vlad could catch the half sphinx for burning his shoulder, Theo was already well out of the way and it was Danny's turn to attack.

Danny shot downward with arms extended in front of him. While Vlad was turning around to reprimand Theo for his move with a few ectoplasm rays, Danny's fist collided with the guy's chin. Plasmius reeled from the blow and had to take a few steps to the side.

"Not this time, cat boy," Vlad said to Theo when he was coming in for another attack while Vlad was off guard. Vlad caught Theo's wrist in one hand and squeezed it hard to make the teen drop his dagger out of pain. The man then deftly grabbed Theo's other wrist and held his captured prize in the air by both of his wrists.

"Never corner a cat," Theo said with a sly smile. He flipped his body up through Vlad's outstretched arms and landed on the man's hands that were gripping his wrists. Before Vlad could react, Theo already had his leg swinging around. His heel connected with Vlad's skull, making him drop Theo with a shout of pain.

"That's pretty pathetic, Vlad," Danny said from where he hovered above. Vlad snapped his head up to look at the boy. "Theo's kicking your butt and he doesn't even have the experience you do, or your powers for that matter."

"Oh, so you boys want a fight, is that it?" Vlad asked them, that smirk returning. "Be careful what you wish for." He looked straight at Theo and said menacingly, "You might be fast, but you're going to be the first to go, kitty."

"He did not just call me kitty," Theo growled, his ears instantly flattening. Both his fists burst into flames as if sparking to Theo's anger.

Vlad extended his arm and blasted a ray at Theo with a battle yell. Theo duck rolled to avoid getting hit, but it was close. A grim look crossed his face as he had to sprint to keep away from the ray that was following after him. The teen's flash of rage was gone as quickly as it had come. Now there was something of panic on his face. Vlad wasn't kidding when he said he was going to take him out first!

"Don't you get tired of terrorizing people?" Danny asked Vlad as he flew in for close combat. He threw a punch, but Vlad was already two steps ahead and simply dodged it. Vlad brought up his leg and kicked Danny away by shoving his shoulder with his foot. He then went back to targeting Theo.

"Ah, jeez!" Theo shouted in alarm as an ectoplasm ray blasted right in front of his face. Before he could get his bearings, Vlad shot another ray that caught the teen on the side. The force itself sent Theo airborne a few feet before skidding to a stop on his stomach.

Theo grimaced as he turned his head around to look at Vlad while still lying on his stomach. Swearing under his breath, he forced himself to move despite the fact that he was going to get hit again. But instead of a ray hitting him, a green force field surrounded him from all sides like a box.

Vlad smiled as he saw that he had caught the teen finally. He pulled his arm back, commanding the box to his motions. Theo gave a yelp as the box slid over to Vlad at tremendous speed. Inertia sent him rolling to one side of the box till he hit the wall, and then back the other way when the box abruptly stopped.

"Danny! A little help!" Theo called to his friend once seeing his grave situation.

"Working on it," Danny shouted back. He was on the other side of Vlad, trying to get a good punch in but was getting nowhere. Vlad was just too quick.

"Let's step this up a notch," Vlad said to Danny. He pointed to his force field box and commanded it to shrink. It went from roomy to cramped in the matter of seconds. Theo grunted as he tried fruitlessly to push the walls back. It stopped its decreasing in size when Theo looked greatly crammed in there.

"You want to step it up?" Danny growled. "Fine!"

Vlad watched with keen curiosity as Danny grabbed the hilt of his sword that Hephaestus had given him and pulled the weapon out in one swift motion. Vlad noticed how the boy held the sword as if he actually knew what he was doing. This was going to be an interesting battle.

"Go ahead, boy," Vlad said, slowly taking out his own sword he had received at some point in this time period, "Let's see what you have learned, if anything at all, from your stay here."

Danny flew at Vlad while bringing back his blade. The metals collided with a sharp crash. Danny recoiled quickly, knowing if they got into a battle of strength that he wouldn't last long with Vlad. He redirected his angle of swing and slashed upward with a short battle yell. Vlad predicted the move and parried the swing and brought down both blades with his own in control.

Smirking, Danny used a little of his flight ability to get himself off the ground for a roundhouse kick. While Vlad was busy with the dynamics of a sword fight, Danny had already learned how to use his other attributes during a fight like this one from his battle with Ares. The powerful kick sent Vlad reeling to the side. He didn't even see it coming.

"Clever," Vlad spat at Danny. "But let's see how flexible your little friend is."

Plasmius stuck his palm out to his box and it begun to shrink again. Danny watched in horror as Theo was squeezed into an even tighter position in his prison. Any normal person would have panicked by now in Theo's situation, but the teen was focused on breathing slowly and steadily. It was all he could do, being stuck in a box and all.

Seeing that Danny was in no position to save at this point, Theo decided to try and rescue himself. His encounter with Rhodes and conducting her electric powers had gotten him thinking. Because his basic power dealt with fire and directing it through his body, didn't that mean he could redirect other currents that had an essential fire component? He had done it with Rhodes. Why not with this ectoplasm box? It was worth a shot.

As Theo was scheming up his escape, Danny was busy with Vlad and their sword fight. He was kind of shocked with himself. He wasn't doing half that bad. He managed to take everything Vlad shoved at him and then return some. And was that a frown on Vlad's face? The question gave Danny more confidence in every strike.

"I see that you have learned something, Daniel," Vlad observed out loud as the two locked blades. "But you fight like a pirate. Where is the class?" He grinned as he used his upper strength to push Danny back a few steps.

"Class?" Danny asked with a grunt, "When am I gonna find time for that?" And with that said, he brought up a leg and shoved it into Vlad's gut. The man took a few steps back from the blow and glowered at the teen that then came at him.

At the last second of his charge, Danny turned intangible and phased right through the stunned Vlad. Spinning around, the ghost boy raised his sword for a slash across the man's back. The slab of metal cut through Vlad's body as the man used his ghost powers at the last second. He turned around to face Danny with a scowl. That had been too close.

"You're going to regret that," Vlad told Danny as he raised his free hand over to his box…which was empty.

"Huh," Danny said, confused but relieved, "How the heck did he get out?"

"Where is that devious cat boy?" Vlad asked in something close to a roar of anger. He spun around in a circle to see where the teen had gotten to. "He couldn't have gone far, probably hiding behind a tree or something."

"Oh well," Danny said with a lighthearted shrug, "I guess this means my regret will have to wait." He wielded up his sword and smiled at his glaring adversary.

The two charged at each other, swords glistening a mix of a dreamy blue from the mass of stars shinning down on them and a fiery orange from the blaze of torches that had been set once the sun had set. Danny ducked Vlad's first swing and duck rolled to his side to avoid the blade of his second. And then there was that pause.

Using the same technique he had used on Ares only a few days before, Danny waited patiently for that small open space in battle where the fighter is done with his cycle of swings and gears up for another one. Vlad was good at varying his count of blows, but Danny had figured that he favored two at a time.

A sharp battle yell escaping him, Danny came out of his roll and stood up while slashing upward. The tip of the blade ran across Vlad's chest, successfully wounding the man.

For a moment the two stared at each other. Danny was smiling with some pride. It was the first time he had ever managed to wound someone with his sword. Vlad lightly touched his chest and then looked at the green ectoplasm blood-like substance on his fingers in complete shock.

"Heads up!" Theo's voice burst through the momentous moment between the two enemies. Vlad looked up at Danny with confusion for a second. The boy didn't notice the gaze because he was looking up at the incoming Theo.

The feline teen landed squarely on Vlad's shoulders. The man gave a yell of distress while stumbling forward and dropping his sword with Theo still placed on his back. The half sphinx grinned wickedly as he lifted up the box he had been trapped in just a moment ago. He shoved it on top of Vlad's head, pressed his hands on it, and molded it to form around the man's head perfectly.

"Have fun getting out of that one," Theo said before pushing off Vlad's shoulders, sending him stumbling and rolling while Theo landed neatly where the man had just stood.

Danny laughed at the sight of Vlad's box plan backfire like that. He looked over to Theo and asked, "How did you get out? And how did you learn how to control ectoplasm shields like that?"

"Well, if you think of my powers like a giant water canal system, all I did was redirect a few currents and threw a few of them into reverse," Theo answered in the most simplistic way he could put it. He was sweating profusely and had to sit down. Panting, he said while holding his head, "But unfortunately using my power like that makes me worn ragged."

Danny sheathed his sword while looking up at Vlad. He couldn't keep in a chuckle at the sight of him stumbling around, screaming into the ectoplasm box stuck to his head. "I think it suits the fruit loop quite well," he said to Theo sitting beside him.

"You think?" Theo asked, grinning, "I thought the color pink could be better, but I didn't have the time to figure out how to change its color." They laughed at this while still watching Vlad struggle. It didn't look like he was going to get the box off any time soon, so they had plenty of time.

"You ready to move on?" Danny asked Theo after a few more minutes. "We don't have much time left."

Theo let Danny help him to his feet as he said, "I'm good. Just give me a minute or two and I'll be back to normal." He stumbled forward when Danny let him go. Danny quickly grabbed his friend's shoulder to steady him. Theo whacked Danny's hand away while snapping, "Dude, I'm good!" After that, Danny let him go. Every guy needs his pride. Theo just liked more than others.

Soon the two were back to running to the meeting building, leaving Vlad behind. They didn't have to go too far. Vlad had cut them off only a couple hundred yards away from the massive structure. It was as big as Zeus' building, but it didn't have the full effect on the boys as the other did. They were there on a mission, not to gawk at the towering infrastructure.

The two skipped the long trek up the stairs by Danny flying Theo up them. He didn't let Theo go even when they got to the top. The ghost boy just turned intangible and flew through the giant doors.

Bursting through the other side, Danny put Theo down and stared out dumbly at all the gods and goddesses there now staring at both of them. He didn't know that having the eyes of all of them on him would be so nerve racking.

"Say something, ghost boy," Theo whispered into the teen's ear. "This is no time for you to get stage fright."

"Sorry," Danny weakly apologized to Theo. He took a step forward on the shinning marble floor beneath him and positioned himself close to the railing of the terrace he and Theo stood on. He looked down over the gleaming railing only to see a sheer drop into swirling gray clouds. He gulped down a lump of rising fear caught in his throat.

The gods and goddesses were sitting on their own types of thrones that floated up at his eye level. What made the boy so nervous was the fact that all these high powered ghosts were in their true forms, meaning they were all giants and he was about the size of one of their hands. He made a mental note not to mess up and anger one of these guys. He definitely didn't want to have to fight all 13 of them. (Yeah, Dionysus showed up somehow.)

"I…uh have your symbol right here," Danny said hesitantly. He stuck his hand into his sack and rummaged around in it.

"Speak up, boy!" Zeus bellowed from where he sat in the middle of the semicircle of gods and goddesses. The god had a stern face that reflected in his narrowed, sky blue eyes that were close to Danny's own. He had long blonde hair which he had a lot of. He had a mustache and beard, making him look almost father or grandpa-ish. Like his brothers and relatives with him, his muscles were well developed and he wore a long toga-like robe. To indicate his supreme status, he wore a golden crown upon his head.

The air around Danny swirled like a tornado for a brief second as if commanded by Zeus' voice. Danny struggled with whatever was thrashing around in his bag. Theo frowned while shooting Danny a nasty look as if to tell him to hurry the process up.

"I have your symbol!" Danny shouted to Zeus as he suddenly turned the sack upside down and pulled it away from his arm. In its place stood a proud and majestic eagle. The bird gave a piercing cry as it flapped its wings around as if to stretch them. Danny looked up into the eagle's golden eyes and smiled slightly. He had always wanted to have one of these creatures on his arm like this. Sam would be so jealous.

"Come to me!" Zeus ordered his pet/symbol. The bird gave another cry as it took off from Danny's arm and flew smoothly over to its master. Once the avian was perched contently on Zeus' shoulder, the god boomed down at Danny and Theo, "Now what do we do with you two?"

"Yes," Hera, his wife, butted in, "I had the pleasure of bumping into your mortal friends. They told me you would provide the answers for them sneaking into my chambers and returning to me my symbol."

"I can explain all this," Danny said in haste.

"Yes, we've established the fact that you can," Zeus said impatiently. "Now do so."

"Well, you see, Vlad Plasmius pushed me into a portal which sent me into this time period," Danny said, starting from the very beginning. "A sack with all your symbols in it came with me. I figured that Vlad had stolen all of them and so I wanted to return them because I'm kind of against war, especially between gods and mortals. So I picked up Theo along the way along with my mortal friends from my time period and a Kitsune. We've been running around like crazy delivering these symbols before the deadline. So that's why I'm here."

Zeus pondered the speech for a minute before saying, "I believe you."

"You do?" Danny asked, surprised to have things go his way for once.

"Yes," Zeus said slowly, "You do not seem like you belong in this time period. And many times you were confused when a god asked you who you belonged to. But why would you return the symbols? You did not have to."

"I tell you, he's the one of stole them in the first place," Dionysus piped up. "He's a sneaky little one. And he's with Theo. You know the demigod's history. He can't be a good influence."

"Yeah!" Ares agreed in a yell. It always seemed like he was shouting. "He tricked me!"

"Me too!" Aphrodite said after a pause and a nudge from Ares' elbow from where he sat next to her. She looked confused, though. Obviously she didn't know exactly what was going on.

"Tricked you how?" Athena asked Ares. Good question.

"He tricked me!" was Ares' only lame answer, which didn't go so well when Aphrodite repeated, "Me too!" right afterwards as if on cue. Danny noticed her husband Hephaestus on her other side roll his eyes.

"If I may be so bold," Hades said impassively. His cold eyes placed themselves on the accused boys as he put his long, gray fingers together in a steeple. "I would like say that Theo and the boy didn't proceed to my Underworld rules and blackmailed me into letting them go. Theo was fair, but there is a very sly side to him."

"Thank you, brother," Zeus said to the god. He then turned his stern gaze to Theo and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself, Theo? You did know when you joined Daniel on his quest that you were on the edge of being brought back to probation, right? What would possess you to get involved then?"

"You didn't tell me…," Danny whispered to Theo, feeling bad that he had forced his friend into this tight spot.

"Shut up," Theo hissed back while lightly pushing him aside. Danny was amazed once again as Theo changed his tone and attitude completely for the people watching him. "Sir, I helped Danny find you gods and goddesses because I felt the need to. Without your symbols, I feared a war between the god and human worlds. I helped him to prevent this war that seems to want to come even without the missing symbols."

"But you knew that it could put you back on probation or even get you banished," Zeus pointed out. "I know you, Theo. You wouldn't want to join this young man. You have always wanted to be on our good side and would bend over backwards to keep it that way." Hermes fiddled with his hands at this. He knew he was guilty, but he wasn't going to say anything.

"Except with that Infi-map incident," Demeter muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. She shot Theo a secret wicked smile before returning her lips into a perfect little frown.

"Infi-map?" Danny asked in surprise. He swung his head to the side to look at Theo. His friend had a grim frown on his face as he stared out at the gods and goddesses.

"Oh, let's not bring that up again," Apollo grumbled with a tired sigh. "The Infi-map was his expression of creativity. But he knows not to mess with that realm now, so it's fine."

"You're always on the kid's side," Ares argued with Apollo. "'Creativity' my butt! He wanted to leave this time period, end of story. Its weak minds like yours that let him get away with it."

"Weak, am I?" Apollo shouted, clearly flustered. "At least I'm not _obsessed_ with killing and decapitating people like you!"

"Brother, calm yourself," Artimis tried to sooth him.

"No!" Apollo said, "I've had enough with Ares' pig-headedness!"

"I am not a pig!" Ares barked back.

"Love, peace, and tranquility," Aphrodite kept repeating to herself as if the words were her mantra.

"See, this is why we don't bring up the Infi-map problem," Poseidon grumbled while rubbing his forehead in frustration. Zeus and Hades had the same look as their brother. Sometimes family meetings like this ended up with yelling and breaking of boiling points. This one seemed like one of those days.

"Wait," Danny whispered to Theo, "You're the creator of the Infi-map?"

Theo finally took his eyes off the gods and goddesses to look at Danny. He nodded slowly before saying, "Uh…it's not finished right now, but from you knowing what it is, I guess someday it does." Danny just stared at Theo. "Please, Danny, say something," Theo said awkwardly.

"Well…that's new," Danny finally said with a smile. "But how come Frostbite has it in the future?"

Theo shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Clockwork said that if anything went wrong that Frostbite would get the Infi-map. Maybe something goes wrong at some point after I make it."

"You know Clockwork?" Danny asked.

"He's the one who told me I needed to make the Infi-map," Theo explained. "I make the map; he lets me pick a time period to live in. That was the deal we made." He grinned slyly before nodding his head to the gods and goddesses that were still arguing in the background. "Just don't tell these guys. They don't know that I'm still working on it."

"Why would Clockwork want the Infi-map made, though?" Danny thought out loud. "It doesn't make much sense."

"You're telling me," Theo said in agreement. "He shows up randomly one day and tells me I'm 'destined' to make this map of his. But apparently disappearing into a different portal each month to make the map is a no-no to the gods and goddesses. I almost got banished again for getting caught for that one. It was a good thing these guys dislike each other so much that they couldn't agree on a punishment and left me alone with a warning."

They both turned to face the gods and goddesses. They were still going at each other with shouts, threats, and insults. "Speaking of which," Theo muttered.

"They're pathetic," Danny observed. It was kind of a disappointment to see all these high and mighty beings that people worshiped till their death acting like children. "They're like little babies."

"Hint the time when I said ruling over Olympus was like babysitting," Theo said with a grin. "We're fine, though. It's when this turns into a physical fight that we might want to just pack up our things and flee."

"Like what's going on right now?" Danny asked after seeing Ares make a swing for Apollo with his sword. Artimis got angry at the god for trying to hurt her brother and open fired on the guy with her bow and arrows.

"Yeah," Theo answered, deflating in defeat. His ears and shoulders drooped with his mood. "Why do they have to be this way? I wish for once they would quit fighting and get something done."

The two watched with winces and sad expressions as all the gods and goddesses got off their thrones and started to attack each other. Only a few like Aphrodite, Hades, and Athena didn't get up, but they did enough screaming at the others to be considered part of the fight. What was so depressing was the fact that they probably didn't remember why they were attacking each other. It was that bad.

"I can't watch this," Danny said, now thoroughly ticked off at their miserable behavior.

"Let's just go," Theo said with a sigh. "They're not going to stop anytime soon."

Theo turned to leave but stopped when Danny placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked hopefully at the ghost boy, wondering what his friend was thinking but not bold enough to ask him. He saw that spark of determination in his eyes and smiled slightly. Danny had an idea.

"Plug your ears," Danny told Theo.

The half sphinx didn't question him. He had already caught onto Danny's train of thought. He quickly put his fingers into his ears and prepared himself for some painful sound waves.

Danny heaved himself up onto the railing and stood straight and tall upon it. Making sure Theo was behind him and ready, he opened his mouth and out came his ghostly wail. The loud sound reverberated out at the fighting gods and goddesses. It drowned out all their fighting and shouting, demanding them to stop and look at him. Finally, they all turned their eyes to the ghost boy on the railing.

It was only then that Danny stopped. He flashed white, going back into human form out of loss of energy. He almost fell off the railing, but he hung on. Theo was at his side with shocked wide eyes from the silence in the room. After a moment, Danny stood back up while turning back into his ghost form.

"This is stupid!" Danny screamed at all of them after a pause of uncertainty. "You're fighting and bickering is stupid! You all look like a bunch of crying babies, not highly powerful gods and goddesses, rulers of all of Greece! Don't you see what is going on?"

Theo jumped to his friend's side on the railing. There was a moment where he hesitated. His usual audacious and brash behavior was gone for the moment as he looked down to sum up the courage to speak up against the gods. Finally he looked up and stated proudly, "I'm with Danny. This fighting needs to stop."

"So make your choice now or never," Danny told the gods. "What are you going to do with us? We want our answer. No discussion. Just tell us."

"You two are foolish to speak out of your place," Zeus growled down at them. "I should punish both of you with death!" He shuddered with rage. Both Danny and Theo didn't flinch. They were prepared to take whatever these guys sent their way.

Zeus composed himself with a heavy and weary sigh. The rest of the gods looked a bit embarrassed of their bad behavior as they seated themselves back into their floating seats. Zeus watched his relatives for a moment as he thought about his own actions. These boys might have spoken out of place, but they were right. Zeus knew he and the others wouldn't change, but at least it was okay to try.

"You should be punished," Zeus told Danny and Theo, "But you won't."

"What?" the others all yelled in anger, shock, or happiness.

"Hush!" Zeus ordered. A blast of wind made them behave while Danny and Theo were pushed off the railing by it. They both landed on their butts, looking hopefully up at the king of Greek gods.

"You two struggled and fought against even death itself to return all our symbols despite all odds," Zeus said. "We might question your methods and attitudes towards your quest, but it all comes down to the end. You gave us all our symbols on time. I think that deserves something. You may keep your lives."

The two boys smiled brightly at the news. They got to their feet, practically giddy about their success.

"But only under these terms," Zeus said while raising a finger. "Theo, you will have a god or goddess check up on you every month for the next decade. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Theo answered with a nod.

"And Daniel," Zeus said. He smiled slyly while saying, "Learn some respect for those more powerful than you. And I want you to return to your time period. I don't ever want to see you again. Go that?"

"Yes, sir!" Danny said, resisting the urge to salute for some reason.

"Now leave!" Zeus barked at them, "I'm sick of your faces."

The boys spun around. Danny grabbed Theo's shoulder before phasing himself and the demigod through the door. The second they were through they stopped to look at each other. They couldn't keep away their triumphant smiles.

"Oh man, that was amazing!" Danny said with a laugh. He raised a hand and the two high-fived each other.

"Have you ever considered babysitting?" Theo asked him. "You were great back there!"

"Oh yes, I have to agree," Vlad's voice cut through their moment of victory. The boys looked over at the man with narrowed eyes. "Relax," Vlad said, "I know when I'm beat."

"What do you want with us, Vlad?" Danny asked him tensely.

"Nothing," Vlad said casually. He walked through them and to the door. The whole time he kept his red eyes locked on Theo. "Just thinking, really," Vlad told them from where he stood by the door now. "Go on Daniel. It might take you awhile to find a portal to our time period. You better start looking now. I'm sure with Theo around you'll find it pretty quickly, though. So go on."

As if on cue, a loud honk pierced the air. Theo and Danny looked down the stairs to see Sam, Tucker, and Rhodes in the Specter Speeder with goofy grins on their faces. Tucker opened the door and yelled up at them, "Dudes! Heracles helped us find the Speeder Vlad stole! You guys coming?"

"Wait a second, Tuck!" Danny called back down. He turned to address Vlad, but the man had vanished. He looked over to Theo and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Theo answered, still glaring at the door. "I just wonder what that guy meant. He called me by my name for once. I thought he didn't know my name. I guess he just creeped me out."

"The fruit loop has that effect on people," Danny said with a shrug. "Now let's get out here."

A/N: Yeah! The finale is done! But don't think the fic is done. I still have one more chapter left. It was a happy ending…somewhat. Vlad's cryptic words kind of ruined the whole joyfulness of it, I guess. More is to come, so sit tight for another week for my ending chapter where I just kinda sum up everything…and give you a little surprise gift. Also, the first chapter of my new Danny Phantom fan fic, Soul Searching, will be posted at the same time! Expect it all next weekend! Thanks for the many reviews! See you next week!


	27. Chapter 27 Homeward Portal

A/N: Okay, last chapter. Man, I'm gonna miss this fic! Little surprise at the end of the chapter for you kind readers. I'll say it one more time. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Danny Phantom characters…I wish, though.

Chapter 27 Homeward Portal

"What? You don't like me touching your ear?" Rhodes giggled over to Theo as she messed with the sensitive cat hairs on his ear with an index finger.

"You know it's annoying," Theo said softly.

The two were lying on their backs in the middle of a wild flower patch. A cool summer breeze made the ocean of multicolor plants sway ever so slightly. Thankfully it was late in the morning, so the sun wasn't blazing harsh rays upon them from above and making them sweat in its heat. They were blessed with pure blue skies that they had been staring at for around an hour, just talking gently with each other.

"When do you think the others will find us?" Rhodes asked. "We were supposed to pack up and be on our way a few minutes ago."

Theo rolled to his side to look at her. He didn't even know that he was smiling until she looked over to him with her violet eyes and smirked, her secret way of telling him that she caught him having a good time. This time he didn't mind. Lately he had caught himself smiling for no reason at all. It was a strange, new feeling, but he decided he liked it.

"Aw, don't you like the excitement of being found out at any moment?" Theo asked her slyly.

"Our love relationship isn't secret, Theo," Rhodes stated with a laugh. "I swear, you love the life of peril. You're going to go restless without some action in your life."

"Maybe you're right," Theo said, "But thankfully I have you who are the same way. We can go have our own adventures together."

"Sounds like fun," Rhodes said with some excitement. "Where do you think we should travel first?"

"Into the future," Theo said without a second thought. "Let's leave this stupid life behind, jump into a portal and disappear." By now their faces were only an inch away from each other.

"You almost sound romantic," Rhodes teased.

"I try," Theo said with a wry grin.

They leaned in closer for a kiss. The two lovers were a second into their bliss when, with a loud yell, Danny slid across the patch of flowers toward them as if pulled by something that he hung desperately onto with one hand. Theo and Rhodes were forced to part as the boy stopped his crazy ride right between them.

"Danny! What in the Underworld do you think you're doing?" Theo exploded at his friend now lying beside him. He was ready to set the whole field of flowers on fire if his friend didn't come up with a good answer.

"You might want to get this fixed, dude," Danny mumbled after spitting dirt and flower pedals out of his mouth. He held up Theo's map with a painful groan.

Theo took the map out of Danny's hand with confusion. It was the half done Infi-map that they had been using to find the spot where the next portal would open up. Theo didn't think it had enough power to give instant results like Danny had said it did in the future, but he had been working on it.

"What did you do?" Theo asked, no longer angry. "I've been trying to get it to do that for a whole week."

Danny dusted off his hair and clothes as he sat up. "All I did was say your name," he said innocently. "Sam and Tuck wondered where you were. While joking around I picked up your map and said your name. Then it jerked me around and took me all around the forest for a few minutes before arriving here." He looked between Theo and Rhodes and suddenly made a connection and blushed. "Did I interrupt something?" he asked.

"Yeah," Theo said with a cruel grin. "I'll never forgive you."

"He'll get over it," Rhodes told Danny as she placed her hands on his shoulders from behind. She started to mess with his raven colored locks with her slender fingers. It was weird at first to get over the girl's strange interest in messing with others' hair, but Danny was now used to it.

"No, I won't," Theo said without looking up from his map. There were a lot of kinks in the thing still, but at least it always eventually got the person to the right destination.

"You look sleepy, Danny," Rhodes said to the boy as she made little braids throughout his hair. Her fingers were swift and precise as they did their job. "I bet you were too excited to even close your eyes."

Danny yawned before saying, "I've been away from home for about a month. I miss my parents a lot. Who knew I'd miss their take-that-ghost-apart-molecule-by-molecule speeches so much. They must be worried sick about me."

"I wonder what it would be like to have parents," Rhodes said thoughtfully.

"How should I know," Theo said with a shrug, still engrossed into his map. "So all you did was say my name, right?" he asked Danny.

"Yeah," Danny answered with another yawn. "You'll figure it out at some point. Let's go already so we won't miss this portal. How many hours do we have left?"

"I told you, it doesn't work that way, ghost boy," Theo said. He stood up while saying, "The portal will show up at the location it said it would, but we don't know what time it will. My Infi-map is so basic right now, I don't even know how long the portal will be open."

"There you are, Danny!" Sam called from where she spotted him a few yards away. "Tucker, I found him," she said into a communicator on her wrist. She jogged over to the group while looking at Danny strangely. "You know she's making braids in your hair again, right?" she asked Danny, stifling a laugh.

"Oh, come on, Rhodes!" Danny said while whacking her away with a hand. Frowning, he stood up while rubbing the braids out. "You know I don't like it when you do that!"

"But they look so cute on you," Rhodes said while standing. She grinned at him even with him still scowling at her.

"They look so cute on you," Theo whispered to Danny evilly.

"Cut it out!" Danny snapped back.

"Make me!" Theo dared him.

"Do I have to separate you two babies?" Sam intervened. They both gave her guilty smiles. After two weeks of traveling to the portal, all five of them were like brothers and sisters with each other. It was going to make parting hard on all of them, but Theo and Rhodes had already promised to visit them multiple times.

"That map thing is out of control!" Tucker said as he finally showed up in the Specter Speeder. He jumped out to join the others.

"I'll fix it," Theo said before muttering, "After I figure out how the dang thing works."

"So are we going to leave now?" Tucker asked. "You said were going to start out an hour ago, Theo, but I guess making out with your girlfriend is more important than getting us home."

"It is," Theo said while drawing Rhodes close. "Kidding," he said after seeing Tucker's look of outrage. "Plus, we're here."

"Huh?" Danny and Tucker asked in union.

"Care to repeat that last part?" Sam said. She had on a look that demanded answers.

"We're where the portal should open at," Theo explained. "I told you last night that we weren't very far."

As if on cue, a bright green streak formed in mid air behind the group. The teens turned around to watch as the portal magically opened into the Ghost Zone. It was the first familiar thing three of them had seen in a long time. They couldn't wait to be home.

"Better hurry," Theo told them. "I don't know how long this portal will stay open."

"See ya guys later," Tucker said to Theo and Rhodes as he hopped into the Speeder again. Sam scooted in beside him while saying her own goodbyes. "Wish you could come with us," she said to Rhodes. "Having another girl in the group was really cool."

Rhodes smiled shyly. "Thanks, Sam," she said. "I'll miss you."

"Visit us soon," Sam said, "Just leave Theo behind."

"Oh, I will," Rhodes said with a laugh.

"Hey! Be nice for once," Theo teased Rhodes. "See ya, Sam," he said to the Goth girl. They waved goodbye as Tucker pressed on the gas and flew into the portal. He almost crashed into something because he was so busy waving back. Sam yelled at him to watch where he was going. They could hear the friends argue as they vanished into the other dimension.

Now it was Danny's turn to say goodbye.

Rhodes threw her arms around his neck for a hug with a girly squeal. She planted a kiss on his cheek before telling him, "You're adorable, kid. Coming from a 200 year old Kitsune, that's a compliment. Don't let that girl go." She laughed when seeing him go beet red.

"What girl?" he asked, oblivious.

"That's just her whacky fox spirit powers going off," Theo said, butting Rhodes out of the way. "Ignore them." Rhodes crossed her arms in annoyance, but she didn't say anything. It was rare for human beings with their souls and afterlives to understand the spirits and what they know and dare to tell.

For a moment the two boys were silent. Theo scratched the back of his neck out of nervous or awkward habit. Danny pretended that his shoes were the most interesting thing to look at as he tried to think of something cool to say in front of Theo. How do you say goodbye to someone so close to you?

"Well, it's been fun dude," Theo finally said while giving Danny a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah," Danny said quietly. He still didn't make eye contact.

Finally Theo threw his arms around Danny, caving into some emotion buried deep inside of him that he had barely any control over. Danny grinned when he realized that he hadn't been the first to give the goodbye hug. Just a month ago Theo was his worst nightmare as someone to hang out with because of his bitterness and habit of pushing people away. Now he was the one hugging. It's amazing how people can change.

"Ah, jeez, this was harder than I thought it was gonna be," Theo said while shoving Danny away and pretending like the earlier tender moment had never happened.

Danny chuckled in response. "I'm gonna miss you, man," he told Theo with a sad smile. "Good luck with your map." In a flash of bright light, the dark haired mortal transformed into his ghostly counterpart. He hovered close to the entrance of the portal, wishing he could stay just a few days longer.

"Thanks," Theo said with a wave, "Thanks for…everything." Danny grinned and prepared to fly through the vortex that would lead him home. "And Danny," Theo said before his friend went. Danny turned his head around, curious. "Don't ask me any favors anytime soon. One adventure with you a decade is good enough for me."

"Dude, you suck at goodbyes," Danny responded, laughing.

-Jazz-

The world was in a vortex of a downward spiral, never to be rescued on Jazz's part of the world. She had spent a whole day keeping Danny's absence a secret from her parents. The two were pretty oblivious when it came down to knowing exactly what their kids were up to. Face it, they were two of the world's greatest ghost hunters that had no clue that their own son was one of their constant prey. They weren't very smart in the knowing.

It was the caring Jazz had worried about. By the time the second day of Danny and his friend's absences rolled around, the Fenton family knew that their son was gone…and freaked.

"Listen up kids!" Jack yelled into his microphone.

It was day three of the three teenagers' disappearance, and Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were at Casper High, letting the whole student body know that their son was missing. The other two sets of parents were with them, but it was the weird ones that were doing all the talking, or more like screaming. The two were practically hysterical as Jazz put it.

"Our babies have been missing!" Maddie told the teenagers sitting before them in the auditorium. All they did was either cringe from the voices amplified from the speakers making them go deaf or were in the back trying to catch a few more Z's so they could actually _do_ their homework in Study Hall that day.

"Have any of you seen our son, Danny?" Jack asked them. No body answered. Jazz tried to see if she could melt into her seat. Unfortunately she wasn't the one in the family with superpowers.

After a few more tries to get the teen population in Amity Park to answer but with no success, the parents went home empty handed of information. Jazz went with them, trying her hardest to calm them with reassurances of Danny showing up, but nothing would sooth their fretful minds.

What was she going to do if Danny didn't return? When was she going to see him again? Another week? Month? Year? These questions tormented her mind as she walked a few paces behind her distraught parents.

To their surprise, the Fenton's returned home to find their kitchen full of the ones that had been gone. For a moment the three teens looked fearful to see the adults after a month of being gone. Danny could see the dark bags under his parent's eyes, probably from weeks of searching for him and the worry. How were they going to react now that he finally showed up? Would they be mad at him for taking off for a whole month without saying anything?

"Danny!" both parents shouted at once. They ran to their son and hugged him tight. Maddie actually had tears in her eyes. Jazz sighed in relief. She knew her little brother would return, she just wondered why it had taken him three whole days to do so.

"He looks like he's suffocating," Tucker observed out loud. Sam was trying to keep down a giggle of the sight of Danny's parents hugging him to tight.

"Can't…breathe," Danny managed to get out. The parents let their child go at this, but they still hovered over him. Danny felt kind of smothered, but in a good way.

"Where have you been these past three days?" Maddie asked them. The group looked at each other. Apparently their leap into the past hadn't cost them much time in the future. It was kind of neat in a way.

"You know," Danny said, racking his brain for a credible lie for them, "We walked into the forest and got lost. Kind of embarrassing once I think of it." Sam and Tucker nodded to convince their friend's tall tale to the adults.

For the moment, Danny felt good. He was back home where his mom and dad loved him, no one found out his ghost secret, he'd saved the ancient world from a god and mortal war, Vlad would be gone for a few days because of the time lapse, and he had made a new friend. It was rare, but for once things were going great in his life. Even his parents believe his bogus lost-in-forest story.

"Then why are all you guys in togas?" Jack asked.

The End…

Or is it?

**DATE: 5/4/2351**

**TIME: 1:45 PM**

**LOCATION: EAST SIDE OF TOWER**

**PROBLEM: PERSONEL ESCAPE**

**PREPARING RETINA SCAN…**

**PLEASE WAIT**

**RETINA SCAN SUCCESSFUL**

**FINDING MATCH FROM FILES…**

**PLEASE WAIT**

**MATCH FOUND**

**MATCH: …**

**MALFUNCTION: LOW BATTERY**

**SHUTTING DOWN**

A hooded figure watched with a grin as the machine suddenly shut down and fell from its place on the side of the building above him where he stood at a window. Twisting his head, he lost sight of the small android as it plummeted earthward and mixed with the multicolor of bright night lights of the city 70 stories below. Any average person would be nervous and fearful at that height, but the escaper had performed this stunt a good number of times. Something that becomes an everyday thing tends to lose its first initial emotion.

"Looks like bribing the guards to forget to charge the probe bots was a good idea after all," the figure said with a chuckle. "Note to self."

For a moment the young man stared down at the city that had for the past 50 years been his home. With his heightened senses he could smell the decay and smoke, and he could feel the pain and struggle it went through each day. He had seen it in its prime and glory…and he had seen it fall to the dreaded state it was in now.

Throwing off his daydream thoughts of what lived on below; the figure flexed his gloved fingers, pressed a button on the back of his left one, and then placed them on the smooth and cool metal surface above the window outside. Toned arm and shoulder muscles flexing under his skin, the young man used the stick gloves to pull himself up and out of the window and onto the side of the building as if he was a spider or other kind of insect sticking to a wall.

Soon the person had his stick shoes on the wall. He knew exactly what he was doing as he slowly took one of his hands off the side of the building and placed it up higher. He did the same to his opposite side foot. Using that leg, he was able to push off it to propel his body upward. He then repeated the same process, always slow, but always perfect and precise.

A strong gust of wind blasted up from under the climber. His baggy and rip kneed jeans and red hoodie rippled and flapped wildly in the powerful gust. The laser pistol shoved between the back of his leather belt and jeans threatened to loosen, but the boy knew he had it secured enough to survive the climb.

On the wind, the young man could smell every part of the city. On it was the tang and saltiness of the food sold on the corners of busy streets, the rust of eroding metals, the sickening odor the rich and stingy hover cars produced, and the usual pollution of millions of chemicals combined into one. Taking a deep breath, the boy relished this non pleasant smell, because on it was a hint of freedom, of hope.

The young man continued his way up. By the time he reached the top of the Tower, he was sweating and breathing hard and heavy. He pulled himself up over the edge, turned off his sticky gloves and shoes with the button, and then checked his watch with a relieved sigh. He was right on time.

He looked up and saw a portal split through the air. He watched it open and spread out as if inviting its lonely visitor to come in. His heart pounded loudly in his pointed cat ears hidden under the hood with anticipation. Would this time work? Would this time be like his other many failures?

The chance of a win was too great to deny. It was his only hope…the world's only hope. He needed this win, just this once.

He hesitantly walked over to the opening mouth of the green swirling portal. His line of work made him confident as to where it went, so he didn't know why he was so timid about it. He dealt with vortexes and portals like this one daily now. But for some reason he was shaking a little.

Summing up his courage, the young man set his jaw and looked at the portal with determination in his narrowed brown eyes. This time it would work. This time he would find him. This time he would not fail.

The figure jumped through the mystery vortex. He arrived on the other side with someone there to greet him. The young man smiled at the person there, an old friend and helper of his.

"Ready to change the future, Theo?" Clockwork asked the young man standing boldly before him.

"I've been ready for 50 long years," Theo answered.

Phantom Mythology

By: Pixiegirl13

A/N: None of you guys saw that one coming! SEQUAL! I've been dwelling and thinking on it for months, but wanted to surprise you readers with it just now. Oh, it's gonna be awesome! I want the first chapter out next weekend, but I'm not sure about that date. Expect to see it then, though. The title will be Future Mythology, so look for it soon!

Also, the first chapter of Soul Searching is up! I have many dark and creepy plans for that one, so check it out! The first chapter is slow, but it picks up.

Before I end this fic, I gotta say that I'd be nothing without you guys. Before this fic I was ready to pack up my fan fiction writing and maybe writing all together and be done with it because I got no reviews on everything I wrote. I personally thought I was a bad writer. But because of all the reviews and praise on this fic, my spirits have returned and I enjoy the challenge of writing more than ever. You're constant support was something I really needed. It made me really want to go to college for a Creative Writing major. I want to become a teen fiction novelist and I'm prepared to strive for that goal. You readers and reviewers are great! I enjoyed every one of your reviews. I love seeing how others feel about my work. You guys are awesome! I'd like to thank you guys for the help and inspiration.

Well, this fic has been so much fun, but all great things must come to an end. Have a good one, guys! I'm done here!


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